The 2024 NFL season did not start the way that Javon Baker wanted.
The rookie wide receiver was a healthy scratch in the New England Patriots' season opener. And after all the hype that has followed him throughout the spring and summer, he spoke about what this means going forward.
"Motivates me a lot," Baker said.
However, his absence made some question whether it had to do with an incident that occurred the week prior.
"I don't know," he told A to Z Sports exclusively. "You got to talk to Coach Mayo on that one. I don't know. I'm just playing my role. Doing what I got to do."
Baker went on a rant during a live Instagram video where he yelled about a police officer giving him a ticket.
“You ain’t gonna start yelling at me and thinking I’m not fitting to yell back,” Baker said in the video. “Who does you think you is? Just because you a police officer, that don’t mean nothing, bro. With my tax dollars, I pay you. Come on, bro, you work for me.”
Head coach Jerod Mayo was asked about the video last week and said he disciplined Baker, but it did not involve him missing a game.
“Everything that you just stated in no way represents what the organization is about, in no way represents what we are about as a team, or how Javon needs to go out there and represent himself," Mayo told reporters on Monday. "We've handled it internally. We had a great conversation. I think it's a combination of immaturity and realizing the grand scheme, that we're on a big stage here and you can't do those things. As far as our relationship with law enforcement, I think it's outstanding. We'll continue to strengthen that relationship going forward.
But then Baker took the situation one step farther.
He spoke with Pro Football Network's Dakota Randall and said he didn't regret the video.
“Anybody that I needed to apologize to, or anything I needed to do, I already did,” Baker told Randall. “I guess more eyeballs are on me because I’m in the NFL. But if I regret anything I said, I wouldn’t have ever said it. So, I don’t regret nothing.”
And then on Sunday, Baker was missing from action.
Mayo was asked if he could clarify whether his inactive status had something to do with the video or not, but he opted to keep it private.
“I don’t want to get into a lot of that," Mayo said. "What I will say is he just has to continue to progress and continue to develop, both on the field and off the field, and that's my responsibility.”
As for Baker, when asked about what he can do to get back on the field, Baker made one thing clear: "Just playing my role."
"Catching the ball, being a receiver," he added. "That's my role. That's my job."
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