Oral history of Richard Sherman-Baker Mayfield handshake controversy

No one batted an eyelash at first.

Following the 49ers' 31-3 beatdown of the Browns on "Monday Night Football," Richard Sherman ripped Baker Mayfield for his refusal to shake hands prior to the game. It was a curious role reversal for Mayfield, who once grabbed his crotch after a touchdown against the Kansas Jayhawks because they ... refused to shake his hand.

But Mayfield is seen as an antagonist, and the story had people like Colin Cowherd, who dream of taking a blowtorch to the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner, salivating at the mouth. However, Sherman didn't take one thing into account -- in 2019, there are a whole lot of cameras to corroborate or disprove your story.

Not 12 hours later, internet detectives had uncovered multiple videos that showed Mayfield dapping up Sherman before the game.

The 49ers cornerback started to backpedal while slinging more shots at Mayfield as the sports world turned their ire from the brash young quarterback to the pot-stirring corner.

Sherman copped to the false claim Wednesday and said he would reach out and apologize to Mayfield.

#HandshakeGate or #DapGate or BakeShakeGate (h/t Rodger Sherman of The Ringer) captivated a nation for almost 36 hours. Here's the story from those who lived it, experienced it or just wanted to put in their two cents and have some fun with the absurd story.

Richard Sherman, 49ers cornerback (postgame to NFL.com's Mike Silver)
"What's amazing, and annoying, was him not shaking hands at the beginning," Sherman told Silver. "That's some college s--t. It's ridiculous. We're all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent -- that's NFL etiquette. And when you pull bush league stuff, that's disrespectful to the game. And believe me, that's gonna get us fired up."

DeForest Buckner, 49ers defensive end (postgame to Silver)
"That can rub a lot of people the wrong way," Buckner said. "I guess it's part of his game. Oh well."

Colin Cowherd, noted Mayfield hater
"Here is the part that is stunning to me," Cowherd said Tuesday morning on "The Herd." "Richard Sherman, a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, defensive back formally of the Seahawks now with the 49ers, a Stanford guy, he's pretty smart. He was shocked Baker Mayfield snubbed him with a handshake ... Baker, this league is hard for Patrick Mahomes with Andy Reid, you watch against Detroit, you watch him against the Colts, this league is eating up --- hurdle, roadblock, obstacle for Patrick Mahomes, who can throw it from where I'm sitting to Canton, Ohio on a straight line.

"You're 5-11 1/2, you look like you've gained weight, you run a 4.8 40 with a rookie head coach and a bad O-line. And you're taunting people? Andrew Luck after getting sacked used to congratulate the linemen. Tom Brady and [Drew} Brees always saying, 'Oh my god this opponent.' Russell Wilson -- has there ever been anyone that wins or loses with more grace? And you're not in their class ... Police video, leading the NFL in picks, taunting players. What is that? Bad judgment."

Ben Axelrod, WKYC-Cleveland (After looking at Instagram video of the coin toss)
"Tough to tell anything about the interaction between Baker Mayfield and Richard Sherman from this angle, but he obviously shakes hands with (and hugs) some of the other 49ers players."

Jake Trotter, ESPN Browns reporter (After posting video from another angle)
"So Richard Sherman claims Baker Mayfield refused to shake his hand at the coin toss. This video seems to indicate otherwise."

Pat McAfee, punter-turned-broadcaster
"WAIT A MINUTE... Was I misinformed about the Baker non dap up before the coin toss? WAIT A MINUTE,"

Richard Sherman to McAfee after video surfaces
"He didn't shake my hand."

"This is the moment I'm in front of him. Shook up with every other Brown up there."

Pat McAfee, not buying it
"WHATTTTTTTT"

Richard Sherman, person caught with hand in cookie jar
"So you don’t see any difference in the way I shake everyone else’s hand and the guy who stands back with the petty shake. Was BS and I took offense to it then turns and runs off. It’s not that big of a deal."

Richard Sherman, mad online
"That's it. They are making way too big of a story of a blowout," Sherman told TheMMQB's Albert Breer. "He pissed us off. We put a foot in his a--. End of story."

Ryan Clark, all of us wondering why Sherman needed a second handshake
"I said I didn’t think Baker was wrong this morning. There is no protocol for it. 49ers fans actually tweeted me about it. But yes, even this morning I said it was no big deal."

Richard Sherman, still a little mad online
"Ppl freaking out over a handshake gave me a good laugh. I will lose no sleep over it and have moved on to the next opponent."

[RELATED: Baker chirps Bosa over flag troll job]

Shannon Sharpe, social media's favorite uncle
"I owe Baker Mayfield an apology. I thought he refused at the beginning to shake Richard Sherman's hand and it didn't happen that way. This comes down to Sherman feeling Baker's been disrespectful to how the NFL operates & has not paid his proper respect."

Richard Sherman, realizing making up stories is bad
"It's definitely my bad. I never want anyone to have to deal with some s--t that they didn't do, you know?" Sherman told McAfee. "The questions that he's going to get -- the annoying nonsense questions about something that happened in a game that's already been done -- sure, he'll get an apology for that. I'll probably reach out via text or social media to try and get a hold of him and talk to him in person, on the phone.

"But yeah, he definitely deserves an apology and that's my bad on that."

Jennifer Lee Chan, NBC Sports Bay Area 49ers reporter
"Sherman is known for being motivated by the chip on his shoulder so it's kind of in his wheelhouse to add that chip by putting Mayfield's face on it."

Baker Mayfield, Browns quarterback
"I know what I did. But that's the one time, you know, the camera and something recording me has gone in my favor."

Richard Sherman, ready to talk about anything else
"I've said my piece about it. I'm going to have a conversation with him and then I'm kind of going to be done with it. It’s just funny it got so big. I thought the football game is what they watched for but I guess it’s the soap opera."