NFL quarterback blasts school for nixing valedictorian: 'If you want something bad enough, work for it. People are too soft.'

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield — who lit up the league in his rookie season last year, throwing for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns — had a few words for an Ohio high school that did away with its valedictorian and salutatorian awards due to concerns about students' mental health and the school's "competitive culture."

"This is so dumb," Mayfield noted in a tweet that's going viral. "You're telling me competition doesn't bring out the best in people? If you want something bad enough, work for it. People are too soft."

It was among several changes Mason City Schools announced last week, including capping grade point averages at 5.0, the Enquirer said, adding that the latter was needed because students have been pursuing higher and higher GPAs instead of other endeavors.

"Kids were using their summers, using time during the year to stack themselves up with even more classes," Tracey Carson, a district spokeswoman, told the paper.

Mayfield is familiar with the benefits of competition

Despite leading his Austin, Texas, high school to a 25-2 record over two seasons and a state championship his senior year, Mayfield wasn't highly recruited by colleges, WKYC-TV reported.

So what did he do in response? Only walking on at Texas Tech University as a freshman and throwing for 413 yards and four touchdowns in his debut.

After some issues at Texas Tech, Mayfield enrolled at the University of Oklahoma — again walking on — and beat out the returning starting quarterback.

Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy in 2017, becoming the only walk-on player to ever win the premier college football award. Mayfield then became the 2018 NFL draft's No. 1 overall pick and was headed to the Browns. He went on the break the NFL rookie record with his 27th touchdown pass last December, having started only 13 games.

Here are some Mayfield highlights:

Baker Mayfield's FULL Rookie Highlightsyoutu.be