Michigan State football players rough up Michigan players after the game

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan State quarterback Ja’Dan McBurroughs was mobbed by Michigan State players in the Michigan Stadium tunnel after Saturday night’s game.

After the fourth-ranked Wolverines beat the Spartans 29-7, social media posts showed at least three Michigan State players pushing, punching and kicking McBurroughs in the hallway and next to a corridor that does not lead to any of the changing rooms.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said a second player, whom he did not identify, was also assaulted and one was injured and may have had a broken nose.

“Two of our players were attacked,” Harbaugh said. “I saw on one video. Ten to one. It was pretty bad.

“It needs to be investigated.”

University of Michigan Deputy Police Chief Melissa Overton said the investigation is being conducted in partnership with Michigan State University police, the athletic department and the Michigan football program.

“Situations like this and public safety are taken very seriously,” Overton said.

Michigan athletic director Ward Manuel said Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, who attended the game, is also involved in the showdown.

A message seeking comment was left with Warren and Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller.

“What happened after the game was absolutely unacceptable,” Manuel said. “I spoke with the commissioner. He looks into it. The police are investigating because they saw the video. This is not how we should interact after the game.

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“The rivalry should not be about that. It shouldn’t be the way it was remembered.”

Michigan coach Mel Tucker said he didn’t know what happened in the tunnel after the game.

“I know it was a hot game,” Tucker said. “We tried to get our guys into the locker room. We will have to see what happened.”

It’s the second straight game at Michigan that involved an altercation in the long, narrow tunnel that runs from the locker room to the field.

Earlier this month, Penn State coach James Franklin said the policy needed to be changed to keep teams using the tunnel in order.

There were plenty of heated words exchanged, and Michigan State players said Pennsylvania players pelted them with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as the teams headed to the locker room at halftime of a touchdown drive that the Wolverines ended up winning 41-17 on Oct. 15 . .

Harbaugh said Franklin acted as the “instigator” and claimed the Nittany Lions stopped in the tunnel to prevent his team from gaining access to their locker room.