|
“Not only did the actions of both teams violate
fundamental elements of sportsmanship such as respect and
civility, the nature of the incident also jeopardized the safety
of participants and bystanders,” the Big Ten said in a statement
Sunday.
A fight broke out at midfield after the Wolverines' 13-10
victory when Michigan players attempted to plant their flag on
the OSU logo and were confronted by the Buckeyes.
Police used pepper spray to break up the players, who threw
punches and shoves. One officer suffered a head injury when he
was “knocked down and trampled while trying to separate players
fighting,” a police union official said. The officer was taken
to a hospital and has since been released.
After the Ohio State players confronted their rivals at
midfield, defensive end Jack Sawyer grabbed the top of the
Wolverines’ flag and ripped it off the pole as the brawl moved
toward the Michigan bench.
“We respect the Big Ten Conference’s decision in this matter,”
Ohio State said in a statement. “What happened post-game
yesterday was unfortunate. Good sportsmanship is always
important in everything we do at Ohio State. Moving forward, we
will continue to examine and address our post-game protocols to
ensure our student-athletes, coaches, visiting teams and staff
safely exit the field.”
Ohio State police said in a statement that “multiple officers
representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Michigan
players could be seen rubbing their eyes after exposure to the
chemical irritant.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said after the game both teams
could have handled the situation differently.
“So much emotions on both sides,” he said. “Rivalry games get
heated, especially this one. It’s the biggest one in the
country, so we got to handle that better.”
A Michigan athletic department spokesman said Sunday night the
football program would have no comment beyond the team's remarks
Saturday.
The scuffle was one of many that broke out Saturday in rivalry
games across the country.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
