Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Michigan State fined $100k by Big Ten for Michigan Stadium tunnel incident

November 28, 2022
Head Coach Mel Tucker during Michigan State’s last game at home against Indiana on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 at Spartan Stadium. Indiana ultimately beat the Spartans, 39-31.
Head Coach Mel Tucker during Michigan State’s last game at home against Indiana on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 at Spartan Stadium. Indiana ultimately beat the Spartans, 39-31. —
Photo by Chloe Trofatter | The State News

The Big Ten Conference has officially reviewed the postgame tunnel incident that took place in Michigan Stadium following the Michigan-Michigan State game on Oct. 29.

Following its review, the conference has determined that seven Michigan State players were at fault.

“The conference determined that during the postgame, seven Michigan State University football student-athletes participated in the hitting, kicking or using of their helmet to strike University of Michigan student athletes,” the Big Ten said in a statement.

Michigan State will be fined $100,000 for the incident and redshirt sophomore cornerback Khary Crump, who was charged with felonious assault by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor earlier this week, will be suspended for the first eight games of the 2023 season.

Freshman cornerback Malcolm Jones was reinstated from suspension earlier this week after being the only suspended player not charged. The Big Ten’s investigation also revealed that one additional MSU student-athlete, believed to be Jones, “was involved in the incident, but it is inconclusive as to whether he actively participated in the physical altercation.”

Michigan State Athletics announced that the other six suspended players, redshirt sophomore linebacker Itayvion Brown, junior safety Angelo Grose, redshirt junior cornerback Justin White, senior linebacker/defensive end Jacoby Windmon and senior defensive end Brandon Wright will be reinstated immediately.

The Big Ten agreed that Michigan State’s “self imposed suspension is sufficient and has been completed," in regards to those players despite the Washtenaw County Prosecutor announcing misdemeanor charges against them last Wednesday.

The Big Ten also concluded that U-M did not follow proper postgame policies and issued a public reprimand. 

“The conference has concluded that the University of Michigan did not meet the standards of the Big Ten Conference Football Game Management Manual policy,” the Big Ten said in a statement. “The policy requires the conference member institution game host to provide adequate protection for personnel of both home and visiting teams when entering and leaving playing arenas.”

The Big Ten findings also revealed that "a Michigan State University football staff member was involved in a separate sportsmanship matter, which was in violation of the Big Ten Conference Sportsmanship Policy," but the matter was handled sufficiently by MSU.

Michigan State University Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff released a statement calling out a lack of "learning opportunites" from the handed down punishments.

“Our institution does not excuse the concerning actions by some of our student-athletes," Woodruff said in her statement. "At the same time, we challenge ourselves collectively to be thoughtful in how we approach this situation so that further harm isn’t needlessly done. 

“What seems to be missing from the disciplinary outcomes are the learning opportunities that can and should coexist with findings of fault. We must ask ourselves: Are we doing enough, as leaders, to help further safety within our competitions through meaningful actions and education? Or are we risking the opportunities and livelihoods of young people without creating change for success in the future? 

“To that end, we also welcome Commissioner Warren’s offer to work with our institutions to create such an environment for everyone involved. 

“We will continue to evaluate this matter and cooperate with any investigative reviews.”

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