Big Ten Fines Both Michigan, Ohio State $100,000 Each

© Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Big Ten Conference fined both the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University $100,000 each on Dec. 1 for the postgame fight between both teams on Nov. 30 following the Wolverines' 13-10 win at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

The conference released the following statement: "The Big Ten Conference has determined that the actions of both teams following the Michigan-Ohio State football game on Saturday, November 30, 2024, violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy. Not only did the actions of both teams violate fundamental elements of sportsmanship such as respect and civility, the nature of the incident also jeopardized the safety of participants and bystanders."

In the Big Ten's release, the conference stated the fine amounts and said that it would have "no further comment" on the events of the brawl. Ohio State also released a statement quickly after the announcement.

The school said, "We respect the Big Ten Conference's decision in this matter. What happened postgame 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 Ohio State-Michigan Brawl

The sequence began when a group of Michigan players ran to midfield with their school's flag and attempted to plant it into the turf. Michigan did this in 2022 after the Wolverines' second of their now four-game winning streak. The fight occurred during the singing of "Carmen, Ohio," a tradition Ohio State staff and players all participate in after each game.

Multiple Buckeyes players saw what was taking place and sprinted to midfield so they could prevent the Wolverines players' actions. It started out with some more trash talk but quickly escalated into punches and wrestling between a whole array of players. Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer and Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham were spotted yelling intensely at each other. Their interaction was clearly captured on video as well. Sawyer headed toward the Ohio State locker room, snatching the Michigan flag out of the air on his way and throwing it to the ground.

How It Was Handled

Staff members and the Columbus (Ohio) Police Department slowly broke up the situation. Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was seen waving his players away from the skirmish. Buckeyes linebackers coach James Laurinaitis was one of the first to get in the mix, trying to calm down and corral his players. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was far from the action. He observed the action from standing just on the perimeter of the pool of players. As Sawyer was being led off the field, Day was seen asking, "What happened?"

Police officers deployed pepper spray as players continued throwing punches, escalating the situation. Multiple Wolverines were sprayed, including running back Tavierre Dunlap and linebacker Jason Hewlett. Ohio State LB Sonny Styles was also directly hit with the spray in his eyes. He initially entered the mix looking to help break it up. Styles helped a bystander who got knocked over as players sprinted into action get back on their feet.

Styles seemed to be moving toward his brother and teammate, Lorenzo Styles Jr., who was one of the very first Buckeyes in the altercation. Styles was then seen kneeling down, explaining that he could not see before he was led into the locker room. Stephanie Otey, a reporter from radio station 97.1 The Fan in Columbus, caught some pepper spray in her eyes as she was in the middle of the field.

The whole sequence of the game's aftermath was a bad look for college football, Ohio State and Michigan. It was an unfortunate series of events after such a shocking, intense rivalry game in The Horseshoe. Emotions boiled over and everyone involved looks to move forward and do better in the future.