Theory on tunnel incident with MSU (w/ evidence)
I was going through tweets/videos of the postgame incident this morning because I was determined to figure out how Ja'Den McBurrows ended up in that situation. I think I have it figured out.
In this video from TomVH you can see two players head up the tunnel while MSU is headed in, Gemon Green and Ja'Den McBurrows after him:
Look at Gemon Green high fiving a fan as he heads into the tunnel by himself, Michigan is waiting and McBurrows sees him from behind.
McBurrows then hustles around to go with him.
Theory already made sense from a general team/brotherhood standpoint but then I saw a photo from postgame vs PSU:
Look at the same pair walking together in the tunnel. There are always teammates you tend to be with more often.
In the only other video from inside the tunnel, you can see Green by himself jawing:
I'd bet Gemon Green got into a jawing match as McBurrows runs to his defense and got the worst of it.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:10 PM ^
Couple of things here.
First, where are you getting "two kids?" They're adults, for starters, and additionally it was like ten of them beating up on a guy who was already on the ground.
And as for them "not being evil:" what other conclusion can you draw about the last people to jump on that pile? The gang up didn't happen simultaneously, people joined in over time. At some point you had 8 guys with helmets kicking 1 guy without a helmet in the head while he was on the ground. And 1 or 2 or more MSU players saw this is decided, "yeah, I should join in." I
f that isn't pathological behavior I don't know what is. Anyone who can jump on a guy who's already down is categorically not a good or salvageable person. Anyone who could do THAT is going to go to prison someday. If not for this, for some other crime, because their actions make it abundantly clear that they have no self-restraint, no empathy. Maybe some of the 10 MSU players were just frustrated as you say, but the ones who jump in on someone already down, they're beyond that. They're something worse and more frightening, something that can't be fixed.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:44 PM ^
Thank you for that comment DennisFranklinDaMan.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:58 AM ^
I’m pretty sure if they are suspended and kicked off the team that’s enough of deterrent right there. Not saying legal action shouldn’t be taken, but I’m sure the ppl in charge will handle this accordingly.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:40 AM ^
I have no faith that it will be handled correctly. A suspension won't serve as a meaningful deterrent. Someone needs to be made an example of. MSU as an institution has no credibility in terms of internal discipline. THAT'S why prison should be on the table.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:58 PM ^
No one is going to prison. It will be plead down to community service and anger management before they even make it in front of the judge. MSU needs to be held accountable for the actions of their players and staff or this will just happen again with different players.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
I’m not a boys will be boys fan, but I’m also not a fan of putting young people in jail over post-game fighting where our guy was able to walk away mostly unscathed minus an apparent broken nose.
Trying to waste taxpayer money on your playground to prison pipeline doesn’t teach young men sheet. Sparty should suspend all the players—including next year’s game. They should have to do community service at abuse shelters or homeless shelters and admit their mistakes publicly. Require them to see a therapist for anger management.
TEACH them to fix their behaviors with the same amount of energy and time you teach them how to play football and learn playbooks.
Putting dudes in a dark cell doesn’t teach them anything about being better and taking responsibility for immature actions. Jail does nothing to rehab people—but then, you don’t want to see them as young men who can change.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:42 AM ^
It's not about "changing" the guilty parties. It's about deterring this (or something much worse) from happening again.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:02 AM ^
Well then you're wrong. Warde himself said the police will handle it.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:26 AM ^
That’s pretty good detective work. Thanks for doing this.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
Waiting for the Zapruder film to surface on this one.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:34 PM ^
I thought of a suitable punishment for Sparty. Make them bowl ineligible this year-wait a minute, that won’t work. I’ll have to work on it.
October 30th, 2022 at 1:15 PM ^
Give them a boat anchor ill-advised $100 million dollar contract liability..... Wait.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:34 AM ^
Let's say for sake of argument, there was jawing. It still shouldn't have turned into this.
It looks like MSU is going to take action on their players involved,
October 30th, 2022 at 10:34 AM ^
The delusional little twerp in front blames Jim Harbaugh for the incident. Start at about the 6:45 mark. He also says Michigan orchestrated the incident in 2018 with Devin Bush.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
That guy lives in a fantasy land. He is the reason MSU has this reputation. Blaming Harbaugh for the incident and calling him a child. What a joke. Guy should not have a microphone.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
Jim Comparoni is a mental midget with the emotional IQ of a newborn. He's a middle aged "man" that embodies all of the inferiority complexes that pervade that university.
Don't give that fool any clicks.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of most of the Spartan's I know. Mad little Napoleon's.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:44 AM ^
Not disputing your theory, but I think 22 might be Tavierre Dunlap and not Gemon Green. I only say that because last night the initial thought last night was the player attacked was Andrel Anthony and not Jaden McBurrows.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
Gemon is about 6’3” the guy in the video was taller than the ppl around him. Plus he had that same maize mask/hoodie on during the game as well.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
It is McBurrows and Green. People don’t understand that players share numbers on different sides of the ball—and people wanted to to be about East Lansing product getting jumped for being a traitor.
The TVH video clearly shows the #1 leaving field is McBurrows. His name spread all the way across the back of his jersey. And the 22 leaving the field wears the same outfit in both the PSU and MSU games.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:47 AM ^
I expected a dumb post but I'm impressed. Nice sleuthing
October 30th, 2022 at 10:51 AM ^
Nick Baumgardner was blaming the assault on it being a night game. I’ve thought for a long time he has good takes that aren’t really MSU homerish but that one was terrible.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
Yes, McBurrows definitely shouldn't have been out at night.
I suppose the next conversation will be about how short his skirt was.
Christ.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
Whodini said it best; The freaks come out at night
October 30th, 2022 at 11:00 AM ^
Push come to shove, Nick can't keep his MSU homerism at bay. He's no better than the gaggle of Sparty fanboys that litter the MSU beat at the Freep and DetNews.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:13 AM ^
Night game excuse may be applied to fan drunkenness but certainly should not apply to the players themselves.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^
None of this would have happened if the sun were shining outside the tunnel.
October 30th, 2022 at 4:23 PM ^
That’s an awful take. The players weren’t drunk, and some of Spart’s dirtiest games were nooners.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:52 AM ^
Other than his crazy anger issues I don't think Tucker is a bad guy. He's in a no win situation. Quite literally.
That, plus he's intense and the last overly intense guy they had insisted on overly aggressive and physical play to the point of being dirty. It's what that culture knows and Tucker is stuck trying to instill discipline on a team of roided a holes.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
I like him too. I think he's taking over for a horrible person that people overvalue and so he won't make it through this. But he seems like a much better person than MD.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
I made note of it early in the game that Tucker is not in control of his emotions. There is intense and there is unhinged and he just gives off a vibe of roiling anger. That has to rub off on his players and coaches and creates an atmosphere that is not just unsportsmanlike, but self-defeating. MSU fell for the old anger is caring bit once again (hello John L Smith) and they pushed in all the gold. All I can say is Tuck should be sending about $5 million a year to wherever Ken Walker is staying.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:40 PM ^
Yup. Not sure why people like Mel. He may not have the intense Michigan-specific hatred of his predecessor, but he looks far more unhinged and angry than Dantonio ever did (and that’s saying something). The fact that his players were unhinged enough to literally assault an isolated M player in the tunnel after the game suggests that it may be rubbing off on his players. Mel deserves blame, 100%.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:50 PM ^
Yeah you guys are reaching now! Saban & Kelly act 15x worse on the sidelines. Hell Harbaugh was worse in his early years at Michigan. Nothing about Tucker getting upset about calls early in the game was “unhinged”. That happens on every sideline in America every Saturday.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:59 PM ^
Yeah, I don't think he's really unhinged angry. I think the fact that he's always sweating and animated gives off the unhinged vibe.
In the end, he's actually just a more demonstrative Brady Hoke (cluelessly clapping) and talking about execution and dropping cliches.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:52 AM ^
And?
That makes a ten-on-one beatdown OK?
If not, then who the fuck cares? This is just gossip.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
October 30th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
No, you did not in fact say this is either justification for the attack or pointless gossip.
You should've.
And yes, I'm stupid. Very stupid. I don't think that gives you a good look, though.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
Great post and detective work
October 30th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
Did some of the players not realize the team was headed over to the student section with Paul ? Looked like there was a large group lining up to leave the field and then bolted towards the student section to join their teammates. seem like if they all went in, in this order that More Michigan players would of seen the attack..
October 30th, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
Back and to the left.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:15 AM ^
Not that it matters but did anyone notice any typical Sparty "extra" stuff happening during the game? I know they are notorious for some extra punishment after plays
October 30th, 2022 at 11:18 AM ^
There was a late game Corum run where the tackler drove his helmet into the turf which Blake took exception too.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
A lot going on in that top video by Tom VanHaaren.
JJ is having a nice conversation and exchanges hugs with an MSU guy.
Rayshaun Benny then gets into it with some MSU players and is pulled out of there by somebody - maybe an assistant coach. Pulls him totally away from there. Give that guy a raise.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
Nice breakdown with the Green and McBurrows pairing. They are in the same position group so it would make sense that he might have been trying to catch up to him.
I'm not sure I agree with your conclusion on the Green jawing match. It's hard to tell without the time stamps from the videos. From my point of view, it looks like this video of Green is AFTER McBurrows was assaulted. He might have been trying to get McBurrows's back, not the other way around.
But outside of McBurrows physically attacking an MSU player, there is no excuse for what is going on in the video by the MSU players. It doesn't matter if there were trash talk in the tunnel. It doesn't justify putting your hands on another person, especially in a mob-like manner where you outnumber him in that way.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
With realignment looming, I'd be fine dropping MSU as a rival. It matters more to MSU because UM matters more nationally.
It's not a normal rivalry anymore, it's a blazing invitation to take offense and act out.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
I’ll be curious if that starts to change over the next few years after the last of Dantonio’s players officially cycle out of the program, or if this is just fully ingrained into MSU’s culture and it’s just “who they are” now.
Tucker is in somewhat of a no-win situation right now. He’s taken over for an MSU legend who was also an extremely petty, despicable person who would very likely have looked the other way or brushed off last night’s events if he were still in charge. And many of the fans would’ve loved that.
Many (not all, but many) MSU fans will be looking to place blame on Michigan for the fight, so if Tucker doesn’t do that, he’s angering the fanbase even further in the midst of a really bad season. But if he goes that route, it’s a really bad look for him to everyone outside of East Lansing and the narrative will be that he’s lost control of his team.
Tucker doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Certainly nowhere close to the extent of his predecessor. Still his job to control his team, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would’ve looked at what happened last night and then proceeded to high five every one of his players who took part like Dantonio would have.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:49 AM ^
Yeah this thing needs to stop for a good few years. It has been low-dignity for a long time now and this is a new low. I doubt MSU will face consequences severe enough to deter them from plumbing a new, lower depth next year either. It's not fun, it's not beneficial to anyone, it needs to go away.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:53 PM ^
Nah it’s fun kicking their ass…they can get blown out every year in my world 😬
October 30th, 2022 at 1:04 PM ^
I agree with this and have said as much. I’d much rather play for the Little Brown Jug every year.
Playing Sparty isn’t worth the trouble, seems like every year there’s some kind of unnecessary drama.
We don’t need their “rivalry”, Michigan vs Ohio State has been and will remain the greatest rivalry in college sports.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:42 AM ^
Don't have much to add on the incident itself but figured it was worth noting that MSU has now given M everything they need to up the intensity going into next year's game. I don't care if M is undefeated and MSU has a losing record (again), the Wolverines will be fired up for the 2023 game.