The Game brawl: Ohio State releases statement on Big Ten's punishment

Ohio State has released a statement after the Big Ten issued a $100,000 fine to both the Buckeyes and Michigan for a brawl that occurred after Saturday’s rivalry game.

The school accepted responsibility for its players’ part in the fiasco and made clear that it believes there is no place for that display in the game.

“We respect the Big Ten Conference’s decision in this matter,” the statement read. “What happened post-game yesterday was unfortunate. Good sportsmanship is always important in everything we do at Ohio State. Moving forward, we will continue to examine and address our post-game protocols to ensure our student-athletes, coaches, visiting teams and staff safely exit the field.”

The fight occurred postgame as Michigan players attempted to plant the school flag at midfield following a 13-10 upset victory. Ohio State took exception to that and tried to stop the Wolverines from doing so.

As they tried to grab the flag out from the Michigan players’ hands, an all-out brawl ensued with what seemed like half the players on both teams involved. University police had to use pepper spray to restore peace on the field.

The damage had already been done, however, with the ugly display coming out the big story of the game despite the Wolverines’ improbable victory. It’s clear that Ohio State let its frustrations from the loss get the best of it, and coach Ryan Day still seemed upset about the flag planting attempt postgame.

“Yeah I don’t know all the details of it,” Day said. “But I know that these guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren’t going to let that happen. I’ll find out exactly what happened but this is our field and certainly we’re embarrassed at the fact we lost the game but there’s some prideful guys on our team that weren’t just going to let that happen.”

Although one could argue it was disrespectful for the Wolverines to plant a flag, it’s not as if this is the first time such an instance has occurred in college football. The Buckeyes clearly took things too far with their response to the situation, resulting in the ensuing chaos.

Both teams will now have to face the consequences, and it seems Ohio State has accepted responsibility.