Michigan State lost to No. 4 Michigan 29-7 on Saturday night, but a 22-point defeat could be the least of the Spartans' problems stemming from the trip to Ann Arbor.
After the game, video emerged of Spartans and Wolverines fighting inside the Michigan Stadium tunnel. While obviously the video below picks up the action in the middle of the scuffle and gives us only one perspective, what's shown in the video below is a group of Spartans taking on a small group of Wolverines.
Footage of the scuffling pic.twitter.com/cipLWi5RBS
— Matt Charboneau (@mattcharboneau) October 30, 2022
Afterward, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and AD Warde Manuel spoke to the media and made it clear that pressing charges is not off the table.
Jim Harbaugh: "Two of our players were assaulted. You saw the one video, the 10 on 1. Pretty bad." Says one player has a nasal injury, possibly a broken nose. AD Warde Manuel will address with the authorities, Harbaugh says.
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) October 30, 2022
MSU AD Alan Haller and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren speaking with police. pic.twitter.com/aGXpmPbTav
— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) October 30, 2022
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said he has been in contact with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren about what Jim Harbaugh called an assault in the tunnel.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) October 30, 2022
Manuel said the police are investigating the incident as well.
“There will be an investigation” Melissa Overton deputy chief of UM police.
— angelique (@chengelis) October 30, 2022
Jim Harbaugh was visibly upset about the incident in the tunnel after the game, said one player potentially has a nose injury.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) October 30, 2022
"Just like anybody, you want to protect your players. 10 on one, whatever It was, it was just bad. It needs to be investigated."
UM AD Warde Manuel on tunnel issue pic.twitter.com/IvgwcT2JQW
— angelique (@chengelis) October 30, 2022
U-M Deputy Police Chief Melissa Overton said an investigation is underway, looking into the tunnel fracas, in partnership with MSU Police, UM's athletic department & football program.“Situations like these, and the safety of the community, are taken very seriously," Overton said.
— Larry Lage (@LarryLage) October 30, 2022
The incident comes after a Michigan opponent complained about the safety and procedures within the Michigan Stadium tunnel.
"It’s a problem, and it has been. To me, we need to put a policy in place from a conference perspective in my mind that’s going to stop...we’re not the first team to kind of get into a jawing match in the tunnel. For me, I want to focus on getting my team into the locker room and not jawing back and forth," Penn State head coach James Franklin said following his team's Oct. 15 game. Franklin's comments were inspired by a jawing match between the Wolverines and Nittany Lions within the tunnel.
“Just get my team get in the locker room and their team get in the locker room. There really should be a policy that first team that goes in, there is a buffer. If not, this team starts talking to this team, they start jawing back and forth, and something bad is gonna happen before we put in the policy.”
Last week, Harbaugh dismissed Franklin's concerns, saying, "Really got bigger fish to fry than Franklin's opinion on the halftime tunnel from a game ago."
Perhaps Saturday night's aftermath will lead Michigan's head coach to re-evaluate that stance. We'll have updates as they become available.
Sunday Update: Mel Tucker has released this statement.
Sunday Night Update:
Mel Tucker and the Spartans announce that they have suspended four players. No specified length of time provided.
Statement from Michigan State Head Football Coach Mel Tucker pic.twitter.com/67vqtVH0r6
— Michigan State Athletics (@MSU_Athletics) October 31, 2022