Michigan’s Blake Corum Addresses Tunnel Altercation With Michigan State

The postgame incident marred an otherwise celebratory moment for the Wolverines.

Players, coaches and administrators from both Michigan and Michigan State have found themselves having to answer questions about the scuffle that broke out in the tunnel following the Wolverines 29–7 victory on Saturday evening.

The latest to weigh in on the videos that emerged postgame showing multiple Spartans players punching and kicking Michigan players Ja’Den McBurrows and Gemon Green was Wolverines running back Blake Corum, who said he was “disappointed and frustrated” with the events that took place.

“You don’t like seeing those types of things,” Corum said during Monday’s press conference, per Saturday Tradition. “There has never been a fight in the tunnel. Obviously, teams have talked multiple times. We’ve been down. We’ve lost. Teams talk. There’s never ended up being a fight. It’s okay to talk trash and do that, but when you start doing other things, then it’s like, ‘Come on. Are we really doing this?’ I know as a man, I wouldn’t have felt good ganging up on a couple players. That’s not how I roll. But to each his own.”

The fallout from the shocking altercation has continued since Saturday as University of Michigan and Michigan State University police departments along with the Big Ten all investigating the matter. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called for “accountability” for those responsible and said he would be surprised if the incident did not result in criminal charges. 

Spartans coach Mel Tucker apologized for the actions of several players during his own press conference Monday. He also confirmed the suspension of Michigan State’s Tank Brown, Khary Crump, Angelo Grose and Zion Young for each player’s involvement in the altercation. 

“Michigan State football is about integrity, discipline, unselfishness, toughness and accountability,” Tucker said. “The incidents involving a small group of our players do not represent our culture.”

With the investigations still ongoing, Green’s father told ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren that the family plans to press criminal charges. According to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, Green has retained Tom Mars as his attorney.

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.