Michigan State suspended four football players on Sunday for their involvement in an altercation in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium on Saturday night after the team’s loss to Michigan.
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The four suspensions come from video that surfaced from the Detroit News showing Michigan State players assaulting Michigan defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows in the tunnel after Saturday’s game.
Michigan State vice president Alan Haller also released a statement, saying they felt it was necessary to take preliminary action and suspend the players based on the alarming evidence they had been provided.
“On behalf of our university and athletics department, I have been in consistent contact with University of Michigan Athletics Director Warde Manuel and Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren,” Haller said in the statement. “In addition to members of our Spartan family to offer our apologies and to ensure our collaboration with law enforcement as they conduct investigations into the matter.”
Another video was reported on Sunday, showing a Michigan State player swinging a helmet at Michigan defensive back Gemon Green in the tunnel. The players are not identifiable in the video.
Wolverined coach Jim Harbaugh had said after the game that two players were assaulted and that one player has a potential nose injury, but had not been diagnosed. Neither was identified publicly.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel condemned the incident in the postgame news conference and said he had already been in contact with the Big Ten and its commissioner, Kevin Warren.
“The police are also looking into it, because they’ve seen the video and they’re addressing it. We will leave it in their hands, but this is not how we should interact after a game,” Manuel said. “This is not the way another team should grab a player and do what they did, it’s completely and utterly unacceptable. We will let the Big Ten and law enforcement handle it, but this is not what a rivalry should be about.”
Hours after the game, the University of Michigan Police released a statement saying they had started an investigation into the incident.
“The University of Michigan Police, in partnership with Michigan State University Police, Michigan Athletics and Michigan football, is actively reviewing footage and investigating the postgame incident,” the statement said. “Situations like these, and the safety of the community, are taken very seriously.” As of Sunday, the police did not have an update on the investigation and had not made any further comment.
