The Big Ten has ruled that it will not take disciplinary action against anyone involved in the fight between Michigan and Michigan State football players on the field last Saturday. In the final quarter of the game, a scuffle broke out between tight end Colston Loveland and defensive end Anthony Jones. The pair’s altercation quickly grew to include the majority of both teams.
The Big Ten has ruled that it will not take disciplinary action against anyone involved in the fight between Michigan and Michigan State football players on the field last Saturday. In the final quarter of the game, a scuffle broke out between tight end Colston Loveland and defensive end Anthony Jones. The pair’s altercation quickly grew to include the majority of both teams.
Michigan State athletic director, Alan Haller, requested a review by the Big Ten, but in a statement by the organization, it ruled that the video footage was too obscured to place the blame on one side or the other.
Related: Big Ten Investigating Latest Post-Game Skirmish Between Michigan and Michigan State
The statement read as follows, "The Big Ten Conference thoroughly reviewed video of the incident that occurred at the conclusion of Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State football game. Amidst the confrontation, student-athletes from both teams were on the ground and surrounded by so many individuals that both players were completely obscured from view. The video review was inconclusive as to whether individual discipline was appropriate for anyone in the immediate vicinity of the two players who were on the ground. While the confrontation was a disappointing conclusion to the contest, the Conference appreciates the efforts made by staff from both teams, security personnel, and game officials to rapidly de-escalate the incident, as well as the responses by both head coaches. The Big Ten discussed the situation with both institutions and determined that no further action will be taken."
The on-field fight between the two teams comes just two years after an altercation erupted in the stadium tunnel, causing Michigan facility operators to revamp the design of the tunnel for a safer environment. However, that altercation ended in criminal charges, a far cry from the current outcome.
Despite Haller’s desire for the Big Ten to get involved, the Detroit Free Press reported that he, “declined to call for criminal charges for those involved.”
