Michigan’s football handily defeated Michigan State on Saturday. Usually, you’re not going to get much controversy from a 29-7 final. And in terms of what happened on the field, this game was no different. An incident that happened off of the field, though, will be talked about for a while.
When the game was over, video from the tunnel leading to the locker rooms emerged. It showed several Spartans engaged in a fight with one Michigan player, who appeared to be Ja’Den McBurrows.
Footage of the scuffling pic.twitter.com/cipLWi5RBS
— Matt Charboneau (@mattcharboneau) October 30, 2022
There are two ways of looking at this. One is to criticize the fight itself. And given that it’s several Spartans against one Wolverine, the Michigan State players deserve plenty of criticism — which is exactly what they got.
Sparty got whipped then appears to have ganged up on a Michigan player in the tunnel. Weak. pic.twitter.com/2EVtzRnvWf
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 30, 2022
"Scuffling", or punking out? https://t.co/uhCxYrhJPo
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) October 30, 2022
I don't care who you are, this is weak. https://t.co/94v2NrACbM
— Josh Henschke (@JoshHenschke) October 30, 2022
More fight in the tunnel than in the game😂 https://t.co/RaKjyhIbRV
— Jalen Mayfield (@jay_may_11) October 30, 2022
This is gross 🤬
— Sydney Sims (@SydneyRSims) October 30, 2022
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel also weighed in, saying “What happened after the game was completely unacceptable,” adding that the Big 10 commissioner, as well as the police, are “looking into it.”
#Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel called the conduct by #MichiganState players in the tunnel "unnacceptable." Said @bigten commisioner Kevin Warren and local authorities are investigating pic.twitter.com/OIlKBzM4aJ
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) October 30, 2022
But as valid as those criticisms all are, there’s another point that can’t be missed.
This is not an isolated incident. In Michigan’s last game, there was an issue in the tunnel between the Wolverines and Penn State. That led to a war of words between coaches Jim Harbaugh and James Franklin. Another incident occurred in 2021, when Michigan hosted Ohio State. That issue involved essentially the entirety of both teams. And even that was essentially a replay of what happened between the two teams in 2013.
People laughed at James Franklin for saying Michigan should prevent these confrontations and now it’s wow how disgusting of Michigan State players. It’s bush league that Michigan hasn’t worked out something better than this and everyone else in the league knows it
— ARG_Ryan (@B1G_Ryan) October 30, 2022
that tunnel is having a season to remember pic.twitter.com/GKa06Bf2XX
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) October 30, 2022
Been in this tunnel multiple times and I promise you Michigan players initiate these fights every time. https://t.co/6NZMCblNCC
— Paul Morisette (@paulmorisette) October 30, 2022
James Franklin says the Big Ten needs to address Michigan’s tunnel. Everyone laughs and says it’s just an excuse.
The very next home game: pic.twitter.com/YCeedq4ktq
— Hardcore Penn State Football (@HardcorePSUFB) October 30, 2022
Michigan State will handle the situation that handled in the tunnel. I trust our staff and program to deal with this situation in the best way possible. Warde and Jim live in a glass house and their criticisms of the situation should be ignored
— MSU Chief of Propaganda (@OdellBretthamJr) October 30, 2022
There are several talking points, here.
None of the previous issues in the tunnels at Michigan Stadium exonerate what happened on Saturday. Fights on the field are bad enough. Fights in the tunnel are worse. But when those fights are several players from one team against one from the other, there’s no defense. The Wolverines not handling the tunnel enough doesn’t do anything to let the Spartans off of the hook for what happened.
That said, if an issue comes up once, it can be treated as isolated. If it comes up twice in as many games, it’s a little harder to do that. But now three times in less than a year? There’s an issue that needs to be fixed there, as well.
It could come in the form of a renovation, similar to what Notre Dame Stadium did recently. For years, the Fighting Irish and their opponents entered and exited the field through the same tunnel. That’s no longer the case. Or, short of that, there needs to be better monitoring of the teams as they enter and exit the field. None of that means that the Michigan State players are let off the hook here. But moments like this are preventable with better monitoring.
