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Brawl erupts on field after Michigan beats Ohio State
A player planting a Michigan flag at midfield seemingly prompted the brawl on Saturday, Nov. 30, which involved police and sent at least one person to the hospital. Credit: Clayton Sayfie via Storyful
College football was dominated by flags on Saturday. Not the ones thrown by officials — the ones planted by players in the middle of the field.
Several teams celebrated wins by displaying flags on the logos in the middle of their rivals’ stadiums.
The one that made the biggest headlines happened at Ohio State, where a brawl erupted between the rival teams that involved police, sent at least one person to the hospital and involved fines from The Big Ten Conference.
Here’s what to know:
Michigan flag
Michigan Wolverines players fly a flag prior to a brawl between players from both teams following a 13-10 Michigan win against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
Within minutes of Michigan’s 13-10 victory at Ohio Stadium, players began brawling at midfield when a Michigan flag was planted on the Ohio State logo.
The moment was captured on FOX Sports’ broadcast and on cell phone video from several people inside the stadium.
It was not immediately clear which player attempted to plant the flag, but video from the stands showed several Ohio State players rushing the field where the Michigan players were centered around the flag.
Police in Ohio used pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the Wolverines' victory. One officer suffered unspecified injuries and was taken to a hospital, a police union official said.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood his players’ actions.
"There are some prideful guys on our team who weren’t going to sit back and let that happen," Day said.
Michigan running back Kalel Mullings said he didn’t like how the Buckeyes players involved themselves in the Wolverines’ postgame celebration, calling it "classless."
RELATED: Michigan upsets No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 for Wolverines’ 4th straight win in the bitter rivalry
Big Ten fines
On Sunday, the Big Ten Conference said that both teams violated the sportsmanship policy, and issued an institutional fine to both schools of $100,000 each.
"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," the Big Ten Conference said in a statement.
Other flag moments
A similar scene unfolded in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, after at least one N.C. State player tried to plant a Wolfpack flag on UNC’s field following a 35-30 win.
And another skirmish happened in Tallahassee, Florida, after Gators edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. planted a flag on Florida State's logo after a 31-11 win.
Arizona State defensive lineman Jacob Rich Kongaika tried to plant a trident in the middle of Arizona's logo after a 49-7 win over the Wildcats. Kongaika, an Arizona transfer, then held on as Arizona wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig tried to take the trident away, and the duo was surrounded by players from each school.
And another scuffle happened after Missouri's dramatic 28-21 win over visiting Arkansas, but it didn't look as if any props were involved.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from The Associated Press, which was covering the games across the country Saturday. Video was taken from Storyful, a social media and video licensing agency. This story was reported from Detroit.