EAST LANSING, Mich. — After a brawl inside the tunnel at Michigan Stadium last weekend, Michigan State has suspended four more players, bringing the total to eight suspended players.
Malcolm Jones, Justin White, Jacoby Windmon and Brandon Wright are the latest players to be pulled from games. On Sunday, Tank Brown, Khary Crump, Angelo Grose and Zion Young were also suspended.
The fourth-ranked Wolverines beat the Spartans 29-7 Saturday. Soon after the game, social media posts spread showing at least three Michigan State players pushing, punching and kicking Ja’Den McBurrows and another Michigan player in and near a hallway that does not lead to either locker room.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said the second player, who he did not identify, was also attacked and one was injured and might have a broken nose.
“Two of our players were assaulted," Harbaugh said. “I saw on the one video. Ten on one. It was pretty bad.
Alan Haller, Michigan State's Vice President and Director of Athletics, as well as Mel Tucker, Head Coach, released a joint statement on the decision Tuesday evening.
Haller and Tucker announced the suspensions will be in effect until they complete the investigation.
"We will continue to take appropriate action in this matter as we learn more," they wrote.
This was the second straight game at Michigan that included an altercation in the long, narrow tunnel that goes from the locker rooms to the field.
Earlier this month, Penn State coach James Franklin said a policy change was needed to keep the process of teams using the tunnel more orderly.
A lot of heated words were exchanged and Michigan players said Penn State players threw peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at them as the teams headed to the locker room at halftime of a close game the Wolverines ultimately won in a 41-17 rout on Oct. 15.
Harbaugh said Franklin acted as a “ringleader” and claimed the Nittany Lions stopped in the tunnel to prevent his team from accessing its locker room.
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