An attorney representing a suspended Michigan State player involved in the fight in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium following the Wolverines' victory over the Spartans on Oct. 29 is saying Michigan State players were responding to the actions of a Michigan player.
David Diamond, a lawyer based in Los Angeles, released a statement saying, "We have learned that the UM player started the altercation. Eyewitnesses have described it as charging with his helmet and throwing a punch."
Reached by The News, Diamond, who is not revealing at this time which player he is representing, said the point of his statement was to push back against the narrative that Michigan's players are innocent in the altercation and all of the blame lies with the Michigan State players.
"It is imperative that this is an objective and fair investigation, which I believe it will be based on my communications with the lead investigator on the case," Diamond told The News. "The reality of the situation forces us to determine why the Michigan players were in the tunnel at that time, what they did to instigate the event and whether the response by the Michigan State players was in self-defense or proportionate to the threat they felt from the Michigan players."
Melissa Overton, deputy chief of police for the University of Michigan Police Department, told The News on Monday the hope is the investigation is completed this week.
In the moments after the game, as Michigan State's players headed up the tunnel to their locker room, two separate altercations broke out. One included Michigan State's Khary Crump, as an ABC video released several days after the game showed him swinging his helmet at Michigan's Gemon Green. Michigan State's Jacoby Windmon also appears to be involved in the altercation with Green.
In another video published by The News, Michigan's Ja'Den McBurrows is seen being thrown to the floor by Michigan State's Itayvion "Tank" Brown, while Angelo Grose and Zion Young appear to be punching and kicking McBurrows, before he jumped back to his feet.
There has been no discipline handed out to anyone on Michigan's team, but Michigan State coach Mel Tucker suspended a total of eight players — Crump, Windmon, Brown, Grose and Young, along with Brandon Wright, Justin White and Malcolm Jones. They all missed last weekend's game at Illinois.
While Tucker has apologized for his player's actions, he has offered little comment beyond, saying he'll allow the police investigation to play out.
On the other hand, Harbaugh did not hold back.
"There needs to be accountability," he said two days after the incident. "There needs to be a full, thorough, timely investigation. I can't imagine that this will not result in criminal charges. The videos are bad. It's clear what transpired. It seems very open and shut. As they say, watch the tape.
"An apology will not get the job done in this instance. There should be serious consequences for the many individuals that are culpable. This has been a very traumatic experience for everybody, especially for Ja'Den and Gemon. We will support them and their families in every possible way."
