A postgame brawl between players from Michigan and Michigan State has dominated discussion from this past College Football weekend, with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh providing perhaps the most impactful statement following the event.
After the Michigan Wolverines defeated the Michigan State Spartans in a rivalry game at “The Big House” on Saturday, players on each side were involved in a postgame fight in the lone tunnel that connects both team’s locker rooms to the field. There is plenty of footage of the fight, which shows Michigan State players combining to outnumber Michigan players.
After the game, Jim Harbaugh called the instance an “assault” on his players, and he doubled down Monday.
“Right now we have an ongoing police investigation,” Harbaugh said Monday, per ESPN. “What happened in the tunnel was egregious. Sickening to watch the videos, the ones that are on social media right now. There needs to be accountability. There needs to be a full, thorough, timely investigation. I can’t imagine this will not result in criminal charges. The videos are bad. It’s clear what transpired. This is very open and shut. As they say, watch the tape.
“I’m coming from this from a perspective of being a parent. These young men are entrusted to me by their families and to our program, and we have the responsibility to each player to treat them like our own, and I take that responsibility very seriously. An apology will not get the job done in this instance. There should be serious consequences for the many individuals that are culpable.”
Michigan State has already suspended four players, linebacker Tank Brown, cornerback Khary Crump, safety Angelo Grose and defensive end Zion Young have been suspended by Spartans head coach Mel Tucker called “disturbing” evidence of the incident. No Michigan players have been suspended.
