The Big Ten announced Sunday it fined Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each for a postgame brawl after the Wolverines had upset the Buckeyes in their rivalry game.
A fracas broke out after the game as Michigan players tried to plant their flag in the middle of the field. Ohio State did not take too kindly to the move and the brawl kick-started. Police used pepper spray to break up some of the melee.
“The Big Ten Conference has determined that the actions of both teams following the Michigan-Ohio State football game on Saturday, November 30, 2024, violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy,” the conference said in a statement. “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.
“As a result of these violations, the Big Ten Conference has issued an institutional fine to both the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University in the amount of $100,000 each.
“The Big Ten Conference considers this matter concluded and will have no further comment.”
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FOX Sports’ broadcast captured the moment a Michigan flag was planted on the Ohio State logo, seemingly prompting the skirmish. It was not immediately clear which player attempted to plant the flag, but video from the stands showed several Ohio State players rushing the field where the Michigan players were centered around the flag.
Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer also snatched the flag away before throwing it on the ground.
“Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation. During the scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games & will continue to investigate,” the department said in a statement on X.
Following the immediate aftermath of the fight, Michigan running back Kalel Mullings told FOX Sports in an on-field interview the incident was “bad for the sport.”
“It was such a great game. You hate to see stuff like that happen after the game. Bad for the sport, bad for college football. But, at the end of the game, they gotta learn how to lose, man. You can’t be fighting and stuff just because you lost a game.
“We had 60 minutes and four quarters to do all that fighting, and now people want to talk and fight. That’s wrong. It’s bad for the game — classless, in my opinion — and people want to be better.”
Michigan won the game, 13-10.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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