Michigan vs. Ohio State football: Police use pepper spray on players
Ohio State University police said they are investigating after some officers used pepper spray to break up the brawl between Michigan and Ohio State football players.
When it comes to “The Game,” between Michigan and Ohio State football, there’s always something. And last year was no exception.
Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines went into Columbus last year as massive underdogs and pulled off one of, if not the biggest upsets in the history of the rivalry, beating the Buckeyes, 13-10, despite entering the game as a 19½-point underdog.
Emotions were very high after the game as the Buckeyes were completely shocked, perfectly encapsulated by the blank look on Ryan Day’s face in the waning moments. The Michigan players, meanwhile, were on an emotional high after beating Ohio State for the fourth straight year.
It was a recipe for disaster and it all blew up.
As Michigan celebrated the stunning win on the field, a massive fight between the two squads quickly broke out. The incident started when Michigan tried to plant its flag near midfield on the “O,” and Ohio State wasn’t having it.
Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer was particularly bothered by the celebration, ripping the flag out of a Wolverines’ players hands and throwing it on the ground.
That started a huge fight at midfield that quickly got so intense, that officers felt the need to use pepper spray, including on some players and staff members.
“Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation,” Ohio State University Police posted on social media later in the afternoon. “During the scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games & will continue to investigate.”
Michigan also planted a flag at OSU’s field in 2022 and so did Baker Mayfield after an Oklahoma win in Columbus in 2017, making it a particular pain point.
“I don’t know all the details of it, but I know these guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,” Day said after the 2024 game. “I’ll find out exactly what happened. But this is our field and certainly we’re embarrassed of the fact that we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys in this team that weren’t going to just let that happen.”
This year, the Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0 and are 9½-point favorites over the Wolverines. So if Day and his Ohio State squad can beat Michigan for the first time since 2019, will they plant a flag at midfield of the Big House?
Only time will tell.
Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor for the Free Press. Contact him via email at abirkle@freepress.com.
