Michigan – Michigan brawl is under police investigation

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Police are investigating after a postgame scuffle in which Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said two of his players were killed in a tunnel by Michigan State University’s two players in a tunnel after the Wolverines’ 29-7 win at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Players “beaten”.

Video from The Detroit News shows Spartans throwing punches and kicks at defensive back Jaden McBurrows. Michigan State Police Deputy Chief Melissa Overton said (via the Free Press) that an investigation is ongoing with MSU police and Michigan’s athletic department and soccer program.

“Like anyone, you want to protect your players,” Harbaugh told reporters. “Ten to one, whatever it is, it’s too bad. Need to investigate and come to a conclusion. Our sporting director will make sure that happens.”

Despite Harbaugh saying “two of our players were attacked,” only McBurrows is visible in some of the videos, although Free Press noted another video going into the tunnel showing Michigan cornerback Gemon Green also dealing with the Spartan players . One player appears to have suffered a nose injury, Harbaugh said, but has not been identified.

Michigan State Athletic Director Warde Manuel Joins Harbaugh face the media and called the incident “totally unacceptable. I have [Big Ten Conference] Commissioner – he’s investigating. Police are also investigating the matter as they have seen the video and are working on it. We’ll leave it in their hands, but that’s not how we’re supposed to interact post-game.

“It’s not how another team should grab a player and do what they do, it’s totally unacceptable. We’ll let the Big Ten and law enforcement deal with it, but it’s not confrontational content.”

The Michigan Daily identified some of the Spartans around McBross as linebacker Itayvion Brown, defensive end Zion Young and safety Angelo Grose.

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker told reporters after the game that he didn’t discuss the matter with players in the locker room because “I don’t know what’s going on. … I know it’s a tight game. Things heated up. We tried to get our players into the locker room. We had to figure out what was going on.”

Another video showed a fan leaning over from the stands to stroke Tucker’s head as he entered the tunnel. Tucker knocked back the man’s hand in a brief video.

Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren was in the game and the top ten was later released a statement Pledge to take “appropriate action” following the investigation.

“The Big Ten is aware of an incident at Michigan Stadium tonight between student-athletes from Michigan State and the University of Michigan,” it said. “The meeting is currently gathering information, the facts will be thoroughly reviewed and appropriate action will be taken.”

Early Sunday morning, Michigan State Athletic Director Alan Haller said in a statement: “I have been in touch with Commissioner Warren. We will be working with the Conference Office and other efforts to gather more information.”

Tucker issued a statement about the incident on Sunday morning, Tweet in a thread, “As Spartans, our program has a responsibility to maintain the highest level of sportsmanship. While our game at Michigan Stadium ended with a very high spirit, there was no reason to put our team or our opponents at risk. “We will assess the events in Ann Arbor and take prompt and appropriate action. “

The incident was the second time it occurred in the tunnels of Michigan Stadium, which opened in 1927 and took place in multiple games. Penn State and Michigan players had a heated exchange as they entered the tunnel at halftime of last weekend’s 41-17 Wolverines game.

“All you have to do is walk into their locker room,” Harbaugh told reporters on Monday. “Like, you clearly saw them coming to a complete stop. They wouldn’t let us in the tunnel. Keeping us out of the locker room seemed like a stupid tactic.”

The Big House has only one entrance to the locker room, and the visiting team usually enters first. After the Penn State game, an unidentified Michigan player appeared in the tunnel while the team was still celebrating on the field.

“There really should be a policy, the first team that comes in, there’s a buffer zone,” Penn State coach James Franklin later said. “If it doesn’t, the team will start talking to the team, They start to go back and forth with their ambitions, and something bad happens.”



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