The Big Ten issued fines to both Michigan and Ohio State on Sunday following a brawl that broke out between both teams after the Wolverines’ 13-10 upset win over the Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon.
The conference handed $100,000 fines to both schools and said it will add no further comment on the situation in its announcement.
‘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 announcement read. ‘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.’
Michigan players attempted to plant a block M flag at midfield at Ohio Stadium after the road win — which Michigan entered as the biggest betting underdogs in The Game’s history — which caused a skirmish between numerous players on both teams. Multiple players and team members were sprayed with mace as police attempted to diffuse the situation.
Frustrations mounted for the Buckeyes, as they lost their fourth straight game against archrival Michigan. The Wolverines certainly didn’t help the situation, either, by evoking Ohio State after attempting to plant a Michigan flag at midfield.
‘I don’t know all the details of it, but I know these guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,’ Ohio State coach Ryan Day said after the game. ‘I’ll find out exactly what happened. But this is our field and certainly we’re embarrassed of the fact that we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys in this team that weren’t going to just let that happen.’
All things considered, it’ll certainly be a version of ‘The Game’ that will be forever remembered.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
