Big Ten fines Michigan State $10K for incident before Michigan game

The Big Ten has issued a series of public reprimands, as well as a fine, after a pregame incident between Michigan and Michigan State football teams last weekend.

The Big Ten determined that Michigan State violated the policy when its football team walked 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.

Consequently, the Michigan State football team is reprimanded and the institution has been fined $10,000 as a result of the violation. 

Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio is also reprimanded for failing to take action to mitigate a foreseeable conflict from occurring. Michigan’s Devin Bush is reprimanded for his conduct.

Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh is reprimanded for his comments made about the incident and opponent during his media availability on both Saturday and Monday.

“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,” said Commissioner Jim Delany.  “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.”