Michigan State players beat Michigan player in tunnel after loss | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger discuss the disturbing video of a group of Michigan State players beating a Michigan player in the tunnel after the Spartans blowout loss to the Wolverines.
Video transcript
DAN WETZEL: Let me just say, obviously, the brawl between Michigan and Michigan State post game, I make a lot of jokes about the guys fighting on the field and, like, MMA and not exactly, I don't skirt from violence if it happens. Not this.
PAT FORDE: No, no, not this.
DAN WETZEL: What the living hell, Michigan State? The brawl, let's get back to throwing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
[LAUGHS]
- That's right.
DAN WETZEL: If you hadn't seen it, Michigan beats Michigan State fairly handily and the Spartans get all up in their feelings and decide to start beating on Ja'Den McBurrows, who isn't even wearing a helmet. There's like five guys, absolutely ugly scene. They're talking law enforcement and they should be. Those guys should, I mean, that's assault.
You're wearing a helmet and you're punching someone without a helmet. It's absolutely pathetic. No excuse, absolutely ridiculous, and what it's about. That is as pathetic as Michigan State's program has looked in a long time, right there, all night. Pat.
PAT FORDE: Yeah, no, I mean, that has nothing to do with losing the game by 22 points. What happened afterwards was really disgraceful and weak. And I mean, if you want to be a tough guy, do that on the field. Don't fight on the field. But show a little more fight, a little more fortitude. But yeah, ganging up on one player like that was a very, very bad situation.
And yeah, this is going to escalate. I mean, Big Ten Office is involved. Kevin Warren was down, like, trying to find out what was going on afterwards. Ward Manuel was furious. Mel Tucker is issuing statements Sunday morning.
Our friend, the drinking attorney general from last year's Michigan, Michigan State game, hopefully she's sober. Because she might have to get involved here. Law enforcement have to separate fact from fiction and see what all happened there. But it's a really bad scene. Michigan State's had a bad season but this was its lowest point, I think, by far. And there's going to have to be some repercussions for it.
ROSS DELLENGER: Yeah the video is awful. It's scary and you don't really know, the video is kind of like shaking. You don't really know what's happening. And then at the end, you see the one Michigan player like squirt out of the pile, having gotten beaten while he was on the ground.
That's why you couldn't see him. He was on the ground just getting kind of beaten. So they've certainly got video evidence.
PAT FORDE: Yeah, people wearing numbers and names. So it shouldn't be too hard, at least.
ROSS DELLENGER: Everybody is identified, yeah.
PAT FORDE: Right? I mean, we don't know the context of this. That, as usual, is the problem with this sort of thing. But what is caught on video is, as they like to say in replay reviews, irrefutable video evidence of a big gang up beat down of one guy.
DAN WETZEL: Yeah, I mean, I guess we'll hold on that. You don't know what sparked it or whatever at this moment we're talking 9:45 AM Sunday. But I don't know. The part that kind of bothered me, it doesn't look like there's a lot of State players trying to stop it.
PAT FORDE: Oh, none at all.
ROSS DELLENGER: No.
DAN WETZEL: I mean it's like, what exactly was this trying to accomplish. And, I mean, the frustrations or whatever I guess. But it's like, this just isn't it. I mean, this is one of the worst things, is one of the worst videos you see in college football in recent years.
PAT FORDE: Yeah, it is because--
DAN WETZEL: And usually the guys they all-- because everyone's got a helmet.
This was straight up a fight. It's after the game. You took your beating. You've lost big. Go, get to your get to your locker room and get out of there. And I don't know. I mean, Mel Tucker I'll be interested to see what State's got to say. I'll get more. But Tucker didn't exactly come out with anything here.
I mean it's, As Spartans our program has a responsibility to uphold the highest level of sportsmanship. While emotions are very high at the conclusion of our rivalry game, there is no excuse for behavior that puts our team or opponents at risk. And complete cooperation with law enforcement, the Big Ten Conference, MSU, and UNM, we will evaluate the events in Ann Arbor and take swift and appropriate action.
So he's certainly not pushing back on anything other than these guys are in a lot of trouble. Because unless there's something else, if not, he's in a lot of trouble. I mean, he's the leader. Nobody, nobody, wants this. And nobody at Michigan State wants this. This is a proud program and that's not a very proud day right there.