Michigan and Ohio State players brawled after the Wolverines beat their archrivals in their own backyard. But is legislative action really needed?

For Ohio State, a home loss to Michigan on 30 November was a football catastrophe, the Buckeyes’ fourth loss in a row against their hated rivals. For a few seconds, the focus was on the Buckeyes’ lost opportunity to secure a spot in the Big Ten championship game. Then, the spotlight shifted to midfield, where a Michigan player planted the school’s maize and blue flag into the turf. It’s safe to say the Ohio State players were unhappy at being mocked in their own backyard.

A fracas ensued, with Ohio State players initiating a physical altercation and Michigan players responding in kind. The Buckeyes pushed through a thin barrier of police officers to shove a mass of Wolverines off the home team’s logo, and several players wrestled each other to the ground. Police officers threatened the use of tasers. At least one held the device directly into a Michigan player’s belly but did not activate it, as an officer’s body camera footage now reveals.