One of Mayfield’s former teammates said the quarterback had little man syndrome too
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is 6-foot-1. He’s not short by general standards for an American male, but he barely is by NFL quarterback standards. The general desired height at the positions is between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-5.
Mayfield is apparently conscious of this, as he admitted to having “little man syndrome” in an interview with NBC on Sunday. The admission came when Mayfield was asked if trash talk from Detroit Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson bothered him ahead of his team’s 31-23 loss to the Lions in the playoffs.
“Me having little man syndrome, absolutely I take it a little personally,” Mayfield said.
Little man syndrome, also known as Napoleonic complex as its named after the famed 5-foot-6 French emperor and military commander of the 1800s, is a purported condition normally attributed to people of short stature. It’s said to cause overly aggressive or domineering social behavior as a means to compensate for lesser height.