The Big Ten issued a $10,000 fine to Michigan State and publicly reprimanded the university, football coach Mark Dantonio, the University of Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh for their actions during and after Saturday morning’s pregame confrontation at Spartan Stadium.
“We are fortunate the series of events that occurred prior to the Michigan-Michigan State game did not escalate into a much more serious matter,” league commissioner Jim Delany said in a statement. “While traditions hold great importance on our campuses, traditions do not supersede the values of good sportsmanship or the requirement for player safety. We expect more from our coaches, students and administrators and will continue to work with our institutions to prioritize good sportsmanship moving forward.”
League officials determined MSU violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy by walking across the field with linked arms “and initiated contact with multiple members of Michigan’s team who were legitimately on the field during pregame warmups,” according to a conference release. The monetary fine was due to this.
Dantonio was reprimanded “for failing to take action to mitigate a foreseeable conflict from occurring.”
The league reprimanded Michigan linebacker Devin Bush for his conduct, which included grinding his cleats repeatedly into the midfield logo and yelling at MSU players.
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