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Michigan St. interim president calls football fine ‘absurd’
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State interim President John Engler says its "absurd" and "ridiculous" that the Big Ten fined his school $10,000 over last weekend's pregame hostilities with rival Michigan.
Engler spoke to WJR radio before Michigan State's game against Purdue on Saturday.
The Big Ten fined Michigan State , saying it violated the conference's sportsmanship policy when the team walked across the field with linked arms and initiated contact with Michigan players during pregame warmups.
The league reprimanded Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for postgame comments about the incident. Michigan linebacker Devin Bush tore up Michigan State's midfield logo with his cleats before the game.
There were no issues during pregame with the Boilermakers when Michigan State did the same walk from one end of the field to the other. Engler said Michigan players wouldn't leave the field when the Spartans did it the previous weekend.
"I just thought the outcome was unjust," Engler said. "Somehow I think if the Spartans were gathered under that big banner down in Ann Arbor and preventing their runout onto the field, that'd be a problem."
