Mel Tucker on Michigan State players ganging up on U-M player: 'There is no excuse'

Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker, university president Samuel L. Stanley and University of Michigan president Santa J. Ono reacted Sunday morning to the postgame attack involving several MSU players punching and kicking Michigan football sophomore defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows as the teams headed to their locker rooms in the Michigan Stadium tunnel.

U-M Deputy Police Chief Melissa Overton said an investigation in Ann Arbor is underway, after the Wolverines had just polished a 29-7 victory in Ann Arbor over the Spartans.

"Situations like these, and the safety of the community, are taken very seriously," she said after the incident.

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Tucker, who in his postgame news conference said, "We'll have to figure out what happened,” released a statement Sunday morning.

Mel Tucker: "As Spartans our program has a responsibility to uphold the highest level of sportsmanship. While emotions were very high at the conclusion of our rivalry game at Michigan Stadium, there is no excuse for behavior that puts our team or our opponents at risk.

"In complete cooperation with law enforcement, the Big Ten Conference and MSU and UM leadership, we will evaluate the events in Ann Arbor and take swift and appropriate action."

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MSU president Samuel L. Stanley, who resigned his duty in September but will stay on into January, said in his statement: "I’m extremely saddened by the unacceptable behavior depicted by members of our football program. On behalf of MSU, my heartfelt apology to the University of Michigan and the student athletes who were injured.

“There is no provocation that could justify the behavior we are seeing on the videos. Rivalries can be intense but should never be violent. 

“Coach Tucker will be holding the players involved responsible, and our football team and university will be cooperating with all related investigations by law enforcement and the Big Ten Conference.”

U-M president Santa J. Ono spoke with Stanley and said Stanley apologized to him: "We are in strong agreement that this behavior is unacceptable.

"The safety of our students will always come first. Both universities are cooperating fully with Big Ten and law enforcement investigations. I appreciate the outreach from President Stanley and others from the MSU community. Both institutions are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure that such a situation does not occur again in the future."

Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said in his postgame news conference, “Two of our players were assaulted. I saw the one video, 10 on 1, pretty bad. … One of our players has a nasal injury. Could be a broken nose. (It’s) very unfortunate.

"You want to protect your players. Ten on one, whatever it was, it was bad. It needs to be investigated.”

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