Football, flags, fights: College rivalry week marred by post-game brawls

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

RIVALRY WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL TURNED INTO A SERIES OF FIGHTS ON THE FIELD THIS PAST WEEKEND – WITH THE ACT OF PLANTING A FLAG THE ROOT OF MANY OF THESE MELEES.

AFTER MICHIGAN UPSET OHIO STATE 13 TO 10 IN THEIR 120TH MEETING ON SATURDAY – THE WOLVERINES PLANTED THEIR FLAG AT MIDFIELD OF OHIO STADIUM — AKA THE HORSESHOE.

PLAYERS FROM BOTH TEAMS GOT INTO A BRAWL – LEADING TO POLICE GETTING INVOLVED AND USING PEPPER SPRAY TO BREAK IT UP.

AFTER FIVE MINUTES – THE FIGHTING WAS OVER – AND PLAYERS AND COACHES ON BOTH SIDES WERE LEFT BLOODIED.

THE BIG TEN FINED MICHIGAN AND OHIO STATE 100,000 DOLLARS EACH.

THE LEAGUE SAID BOTH TEAMS VIOLATED ITS SPORTSMANSHIP POLICY AND JEOPARDIZED THE SAFETY OF “PARTICIPANTS AND BYSTANDERS.” HOWEVER, NO INDIVIDUAL PLAYER WOULD BE DISCIPLINED.

IN A POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE – BUCKEYES COACH RYAN DAY GAVE HIS VIEW OF THE INCIDENT.

[RYAN DAY | OHIO STATE HEAD COACH]

“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. 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.”

OHIO STATE LATER RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING IT WILL CONTINUE TO EXAMINE AND ADDRESS POST-GAME PROTOCOLS.

OVER IN TALLAHASSEE, A SCUFFLE BROKE OUT AFTER FLORIDA DEFENSIVE END GEORGE GUMBS JR. PLANTED THE GATORS FLAG ON FLORIDA STATE’S SEMINOLES LOGO FOLLOWING A 31 TO 11 WIN.

SEMINOLES COACH MIKE NORVELL COULD BE SEEN ON CAMERA AT ONE POINT SNATCHING THE FLAG FROM A GATORS PLAYER.

NORVELL SAID HE SPOKE TO FLORIDA HEAD COACH BILLY NAPIER AFTER THE GAME.

NAPIER LATER TOLD REPORTERS THERE WOULD BE CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL INVOLVED.

[BILLY NAPIER | FLORIDA HEAD COACH]

“What happened there at the end of the game is not who want to be as a program. It’s embarrassing to me and it’s a distraction from a really well-played football game. I want to apologize on behalf of the entire organization just in terms of how we represented the university there. We shouldn’t have done that.”

AFTER NC STATE’S 35 TO 30 WIN OVER NORTH CAROLINA IN CHAPEL HILL – -ONE WOLFPACK PLAYER TRIED PLANTING HIS TEAM’S FLAG AT MIDFIELD – BUT A GROUP OF TAR HEELS PLAYERS WOULD NOT ALLOW THAT HAPPEN.

A FIGHT BROKE OUT AND ONE CAROLINA PLAYER TRIED TO TAKE THE FLAG AND THROW IT INTO THE STANDS – WHICH ONLY ADDED TO THE CHAOS.

THIS WAS MACK BROWN’S FINAL GAME AS UNC HEAD COACH.

TALKING TO REPORTERS AFTER THE GAME — BROWN CALLED PLANTING A FLAG – A DISRESPECTFUL MOVE.

AND THEN THERE WAS ARIZONA AND ARIZONA STATE. THE SUN DEVILS EASILY PICKED UP THE 49 TO 7 WIN OVER THE WILDCATS. –

BUT IT WAS WHEN AN ARIZONA PLAYER PICKED UP A TRIDENT AT MID-FIELD THAT HAD BEEN PLANTED ON HIS TEAM’S LOGO BY AN ARIZONA STATE PLAYER THAT A SCUFFLE ENSUED.

BUT IT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY AT THE END OF THE RIVALRY GAME BETWEEN TEXAS AND TEXAS A AND M.

THE LONGHORNS WALKED OFF WITH A 17 TO 7 VICTORY OVER AGGIES – THEIR FIRST IN COLLEGE STATION SINCE 20-11.

BUT BEFORE ACTUALLY WALKING OFF FROM KYLE FIELD – A GROUP OF LONGHORNS PLAYERS STARTED TO CONVERGE AT MID-FIELD.

KNOWING WHAT HAD HAPPENED EARLIER IN THE DAY – TEXAS FOOTBALL COACH STEVE SARKISIAN RAN TO STOP THEM FROM PARTICIPATING IN ANY POST-GAME CELEBRATION THAT COULD LEAD TO TROUBLE.

NO FLAG WAS PLANTED – BUT THE COACH’S MOTIVES WERE CLEAR.

[STEVE SARKISIAN | TEXAS HEAD COACH]

“I just watched Ohio State-Michigan get in a full-fledged brawl in my hotel room today, and I just didn’t think it was right,” Sarkisian said. “Rivalries are great, but there’s a way to win it with class. I just didn’t think that’s the right thing to do. We shouldn’t be on their logo, we shouldn’t be planting any flags on their logo, and I’d like to — whenever that day comes — get the same respect in return. We try to teach our players how to go about our business. We celebrate with one another. It’s not about another team. It’s about what we do. There’s a way to win with class and I’m hopeful we can continue to learn how to do that.”

DURING THE ESPN BROADCAST OF THE TEXAS-TEXAS A AND M GAME – COACH SARKISIAN’S ACTIONS WERE APPLAUDED BY THE COMMENTATORS.

WITH ESPN’S KIRK HERBSTREIT, A FORMER OHIO STATE QUARTERBACK – SAYING THE COACH DID A GOOD JOB HANDLING THE SITUATION — ADDING PLAYERS CAN CELEBRATE IN OTHER AREAS AND NOT ON THE OTHER’S TEAM LOGO.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI.

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