Big Ten fines MSU $100,000 for Michigan Stadium tunnel brawl
ROSEMONT, Ill. (CBS Detroit) - The Big Ten Conference has fined Michigan State University $100,000 for the postgame fight in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 29.
The news comes on the heels of the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office filing charges against seven MSU players last week.
Social media posts after the annual game showed MSU players pushing, punching and kicking Michigan's Ja'Den McBurrows in and near a hallway that doesn't lead to either locker room. MSU linebacker Itayvion "Tank" Brown, safety Angelo Grose and defensive end Zion Young are seen on video getting physical with McBurrows.
Days after the fight, Spartans coach Mel Tucker suspended Brown, Grose, Young and cornerback Khary Crump.
The official statement from the Big Ten Conference may be found here: https://t.co/m6pJCfqAPy pic.twitter.com/92d31rLHzK
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) November 28, 2022
Those players are among seven facing charges in connection to the fight. Crump is charged with felonious assault. Brown, Grose and Young are charged with aggravated assault. Cornerback Justin White and Defensive End Brandon Wright are also charged with aggravated assault. Linebacker Jacoby Windmon is charged with assault and battery.
The Big Ten has suspended Crump for the first eight games of the 2023 season. The conference says MSU's self-imposed suspensions of other players involved in the fight is sufficient and has been completed.
The Big Ten also says the University of Michigan did not meet the standards of the Big Ten Conference Football Game Management Manual policy and has been issued a public reprimand.
"The Big Ten Conference has a standard of excellence both academically and athletically that has been built over 127 years," said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren in a release Monday. "Our standards require that our student-athletes, coaches and staff members represent the conference, and their member institutions, with the highest level of decorum and sportsmanship. We are taking disciplinary action and will continue to work with our member institutions to strengthen their gameday procedures and ensure our honored traditions."
Joint Statement from Michigan State Vice President & Director of Athletics Alan Haller and Michigan State Head Football Coach Mel Tucker pic.twitter.com/umIzUDuDma
— Michigan State Athletics (@MSU_Athletics) November 28, 2022
MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller and MSU football coach Mel Tucker released the following statement Monday after the Big Ten's announcement.
"We accept the findings from the Big Ten Conference and are ready to move forward as a football program. We are committed to supporting our student-athletes and will continue to do so throughout this process."