Michigan police to investigate tunnel incident for alleged ‘assault’
Nov 16, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan police are going to investigate the incident that took place in the tunnel after Saturday night’s 29-7 win by Michigan over Michigan State.
Several Michigan State players were seen beating up Michigan defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows in the tunnel after the game.
Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh claimed that two of his team’s players were assaulted, and said one had a nasal injury.
Jim Harbaugh: "Two of our players were assaulted. You saw the one video, the 10 on 1. Pretty bad." Says one player has a nasal injury, possibly a broken nose. AD Warde Manuel will address with the authorities, Harbaugh says.
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) October 30, 2022
He deferred most questions about the matter to Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel.
Warde Manuel says he's spoken with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren about the incident. "This is not the way another team should grab a player and do what they did. It's completely and utterly unacceptable."
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) October 30, 2022
Melissa Overton, the deputy chief of University of Michigan police, said they were investigating the matter.
“There will be an investigation” Melissa Overton deputy chief of UM police.
— angelique (@chengelis) October 30, 2022
Michigan only has one tunnel through which both teams enter and exit the field, which can lead to dustups. Penn State coach James Franklin said that the school needed to address the situation. Though Harbaugh belittled Franklin, the Penn State coach was proved to be right.
McBurrows entered the tunnel at the wrong time and was seen going in when Michigan State players went in. That explains how he wound up in the situation, but we don’t know what took place prior to the videos being recorded.
