Steve Sarkisian gives his thoughts on shared tunnels after incident between Michigan, Michigan State

It was not a pretty scene in the shared tunnel following the Michigan versus Michigan State game this weekend, as footage surfaced of multiple Spartans players attacking Wolverines Gemon Green and Ja’Den McBurrows. Both sustained injuries and four Michigan State players have been suspended, as the investigation and legal process have begun. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about the situation, seeing that their rivalry game against Oklahoma every year is in a stadium with a shared tunnel as well.

“I think one of the challenges is you’ve got to make sure everybody’s on board from your strength staff, your security staff,” Sarkisian said. “I try not to put too much into that where that starts to take away from the game, that it’s about what the other team’s doing in the tunnel.”

Different precautions and measures can surely be taken to avoid situations like the one that occurred in Michigan Stadium this weekend, but Sarkisian believes it ultimately comes down to widespread, universal respect.

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“But to me it’s about respecting us, respecting the game, respecting the opponent, we all want to play hard and tough and physical and put it out there on the grass. I recognize emotions and tempers can run high on the field and I think that’s the hard part when you’re in the same tunnel if some of those things spill over into that. It was not a great scene, not a great scene for college football obviously not a great scene last night in the NFL in that ball game,” Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian is likely referring to another alarming moment in football this weekend when Green Bay Packers rookie Quay Walker shoved a coach on the Buffalo Bills staff in their Sunday night game. Walker was ejected from the game Sunday, and further punishment besides the suspensions will likely be handed down to the Michigan State players involved in the altercation. But hopefully, the entire football landscape can take a page out of Sarkisian’s book, as he spoke further on how to avoid issues like the ones seen this weekend.

“So I think we’ve all got a part to do, I say it all the time, we have a beautiful game and I get it emotions have run high, it’s not the first time there’s ever been scuffle in a tunnel before, okay?” Sarkisian asked. “It’s probably been going on for a hundred years, but the reality of it is we’ve gotta be mindful of that and make sure that we’ve got our people to deployed properly so that we can get people up and down the tunnel like we do at the Cotton Bowl.”