The aftermath of the Michigan and Ohio State game extended far beyond the gridiron, resulting in physical altercations and the deployment of pepper spray by law enforcement officials in attempts to control the situation. On Saturday, following a 13-10 victory by Michigan over Ohio State, members of the Michigan squad planted their team flag on Ohio Stadium's midfield, inciting a confrontation between players from both teams and resulting in at least one arrest. Ohio State University Police Department, together with several other agencies, used pepper spray to disperse the crowd and put an end to the fisticuffs, which lasted several minutes. Ohio State officer got injured during the altercation and had to be hospitalized but was released the following day.
While the Michigan team celebrated their win, Ohio State's linebacker Jack Sawyer was seen ripping and throwing the flag to the ground, as captured in the brawl moments. According to NBC4i, an exchange over the flag featured a former NFL wide receiver and current sideline reporter for the Michigan radio network, Jason Avant, who played for the Wolverines from 2002 to '05. Avant told the Detroit News, "The craziest thing is, I wasn’t looking to do it. I saw a dude with a Buckeye jersey with the flag, and I was like, ‘Hey, what is going on?’ I didn’t see the flag plant. I didn’t see the confrontation or scuffle or anything. I just saw the guy with the flag, and I was like, ‘Ah, let me get that back.’" Avant then took the flag back to the Michigan locker room post-altercation.
An investigation into the incident has begun, focusing mainly on law enforcement's use of pepper spray. A spokesperson for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office stated that deploying such tools is standard in crowd control situations to ensure the safe dispersion of individuals. Additionally, a retired commander with the Columbus Division of Police, Robert Meader, trained on the use of force, indicated that the justification for using pepper spray appears to have been met in this instance due to the severity of the ongoing assaults. Meader also suggested that those involved in the fight could potentially face legal repercussions, "I do believe that will be something the law enforcement agencies and prosecutor’s offices will take a moment to review and to determine if there will be any criminal charges that may be applicable especially since an officer was injured," he conveyed to WBNS.
As the dust settled, the Big Ten Conference found that Ohio State and Michigan had breached the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy and fined the universities $100,000 each. However, player suspensions were not issued, which could affect postseason play. According to WDTN, Michigan coach Sherrone Moore commented on the event by emphasizing the necessity for his team to handle such situations more adeptly, "We've got to do a better job of handling that, as a group," he said. Despite the altercation and subsequent penalties, both teams are poised to continue their seasons, with Ohio State still in contention for a place in the College Football Playoff and Michigan set to participate in a nonplayoff bowl game.
