Jim Harbaugh Says 2 Michigan Players Were 'Assaulted' in Tunnel Fight After MSU Game
October 30, 2022
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters after Saturday's 29-7 win over the Michigan State Spartans that two of his players were assaulted in the tunnel after the game.
The Wolverines would not confirm which players were attacked. However, Brandon Brown of Sports Illustrated reported defensive back Ja'Den McBurrows is "100 percent" one of the victims.
"He is very clearly the player who is jumped by around 10 Spartans," Brown wrote in a tweet.
"Another team should not grab a player and do what they did," Michigan director of athletics Warde Manuel told reporters. "We will let the Big Ten and law enforcement handle it. This is not what a rivalry should be about."
The "trash talking and jostling" between Michigan and Michigan State players began while Harbaugh and Spartans head coach Mel Tucker were shaking hands after the game, per Andrew Hammond of the Detroit Free Press.
Tucker told reporters after the game that he is unsure how the situation in the tunnel unfolded, adding "things were heated, and we have to figure out what happened."
The No. 4 Wolverines were dominant against the unranked Spartans. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy completed 15 of 25 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown while running back Blake Corum rushed for 177 yards and a score on 33 carries. Corum also scored a two-yard reception.
McBurrows, the player reportedly attacked in the tunnel, has yet to appear in a game for the Wolverines this season. He appeared in just four games during the 2021 campaign as a freshman.
Michigan improved to 8-0 on the season with the win, while Michigan State dropped to 3-5.
The Wolverines ended a two-game losing streak to their in-state rivals and improved to 72-38-5 all-time in the series.
The Wolverines move on to face Rutgers next weekend, while the Spartans will face No. 17 Illinois.