Michigan State’s punishment for its tunnel fight with rival Michigan has reached a record mark.
The school will receive a Big Ten record $100,000 fine from commissioner Kevin Warren for the Oct. 29 postgame brawl.
“The Big Ten Conference has a standard of excellence both academically and athletically that has been built over 127 years,” Warren said in a statement. “Our standards require that our student-athletes, coaches and staff members represent the conference, and their member institutions, with the highest level of decorum and sportsmanship. We are taking disciplinary action and will continue to work with our member institutions to strengthen their gameday procedures and ensure our honored traditions.”
The penalty surpasses the $40,000 fine issued to Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard for hitting a Wisconsin assistant coach in February.
It’s the latest in punitive measures against the Spartans program for the wild, helmet-swinging postgame fight which saw seven Michigan State players criminally charged for attacking Michigan players following the Wolverines’ 29-7 win. All seven Spartans players were suspended, including sophomore Khary Krump, who will also be banned for the first eight games of the 2023 season, the Big Ten announced Monday.
It is unclear what started the melee.
Michigan was issued a public reprimand “with the protocol outlined in the Big Ten Conference Football Game Management Manual policy.” The school had previously been privately reprimanded for incidents in the tunnel during games against Ohio State last season and against Penn State this year.
This is not the first incident between Michigan and Michigan State’s football programs. The Big Ten in 2018 determined the Spartans violated the Sportsmanship Policy by walking 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,” according to a conference release.