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Jim Harbaugh on postgame MSU tunnel incident: ‘Two of our players were assaulted ... (one) 10 on 1' 

Chris Balasby: Chris Balas10/30/22Balas_Wolverine
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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has not heard from MSU coach Mel Tucker since last year's game. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Jim Harbaugh and Michigan handled Michigan State, 29-7, in a game that probably wasn’t as close as the score. The Spartans, though, didn’t handle that well, allegedly assaulting two Michigan players in the tunnel on the way back to the locker room. 

RELATED: Michigan football player ‘jumped’ in postgame tunnel by several MSU Spartans

Video showed several MSU players apparently pushing and kicking sophomore cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows while he tried to make his way up the tunnel. 

“Two of our players were assaulted,” Michigan head coach Harbaugh confirmed in his postgame press conference. “I saw the one video, the 10 on 1. Pretty bad. I’m going to let our Athletic Director, Warde Manuel, address it with the authorities …

“Pretty open and shut. One of our players has a nasal injury — could be a broken nose. Just very unfortunate.”

More than that, it might well be criminal. 

“I’ll let Warde address that. My perspective is I heard from two players when we got into the locker room … we started addressing it,” Harbaugh said. “Then the video surfaced.”

Manuel then came to the podium to address the media. 

“What happened after the game is completely unacceptable. I’ve talked to the [Big Ten] commissioner [Kevin Warren],” Manuel said. “He is looking into it. The police are also looking into it because they’ve seen the video, so they’re addressing it. 

“We will leave it in their hands. But this is not how we should interact after the game. This is not the way another team should grab a player and do what they did. It’s completely and utterly unacceptable. We will let the Big Ten and law enforcement handle it, but this is not what a rivalry should be about. It’s not how it should be remembered.”

Michigan led 13-7 at the break and, despite having to settle for 5 field goals, was never really threatened. The Spartans couldn’t get anything going on the ground and didn’t get a first down in the third quarter, and there was some pushing and shoving in the postgame after the final whistle, too.

“We won on the field. This man and his team and those players when out there and won, and for that to happen is unacceptable,” Manuel said again. “And that’s all I’m going to say. I’ll leave it to Kevin and law enforcement to handle from here on out.”

They were celebrating in the locker room, but the tunnel event put a damper on it, Harbaugh admitted. 

“We were addressing that. Just, it was … just like anybody, you want to protect your players, and 10 on 1, whatever it was,” he said. “Just bad. Warde addressed it, and [we] move on. It needs to be investigated, brought to a conclusion, and we’ll let our athletic director make sure that takes place.”

He then got a bit heated when it was brought up once more. 

“I’m disappointed that happened to two of our players,” he said, voice rising. 

The Wolverines will head to Rutgers next week at 8-0 after the win. We’ll probably hear more from Harbaugh and Manuel — perhaps the Big Ten and the authorities — on the MSU incident next week.