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 10:06 AM ^
Just so classy that State program. Instead of taking that end of game into the “file this for next year” folder, they go full thug action. And now lots of media already setting up the “mistakes on both sides” narrative, but media Blue wall in Detroit right? Riiiiiight
October 30th, 2022 at 10:14 AM ^
Only ppl I see defending MSU players on social media are Spartan fans. Even their local beat writers were condemning the incident. National writers(Pat Forde, Jason McIntyre) were trashing the Spartans for their actions.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
Fortuna in the Athletic as well. He put it on MSU, as he should have.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
Send your kid to play football at MSU and now they are a Jerry Springer/Steve Wilkos episode for life.
Absolute Trash! Cameras are everywhere idiots.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:40 AM ^
Don’t forget Spartan slappy “journalists.” I’m not going to link it bc I won’t give him clicks, but Jim Comparoni pooped out an article this morning in which he blames Harbaugh for fostering a culture where Michigan players talk trash and take cheap shots at MSU players. He even claims that MSU players don’t behave that way because Mel Tucker has instilled a Saban-esque culture that forbids such boorish behavior.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:44 AM ^
I see their fans blaming the tunnel and the late deep pass plays to try and “run up the score”. This from a team that had the word “relentless” on the back of their helmet.
Sparty gonna spart.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:49 AM ^
Comp has the emotional intelligence of a newborn.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:44 PM ^
Come now…. what do you have against newborns?
October 30th, 2022 at 11:17 AM ^
I remember last year. UM lost but walked away like Big Brothers do. Comparoni is an idiot. Wasn't he the ass who said crap during Dantonio years because he didn't realize he was online?
October 30th, 2022 at 11:23 AM ^
Thank you for that. Don't need MSU junk fodder on the board.
October 30th, 2022 at 2:07 PM ^
The same Jim Comparoni that advocated for the breaking of Devin Gardner's legs? Fuck that hypocrite.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:10 AM ^
I think you're on to something. I wonder if staff hustled Green into the locker room and McBurrows got stranded with the trash.
Also, this is not on this topic, but was this the closest Brian has ever come to predicting the exact score? Variance of zero on one side and only 3 on the other...
October 30th, 2022 at 10:11 AM ^
I think that’s after the Incident where Gemon is talking smack back to MSU, but it does fit what Harbaugh mentioned that “2 players were assaulted”. Don’t buy the narrative that a little jaw jacking led up to this. MSU players were pissed off about the loss and they thought to take out their frustration on 2 UM players.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
I'm curious if the people who think some jaw jacking is justification for a physical beating would feel the same way if they were to get hit in the mouth after saying it.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:45 PM ^
Depends on what was said during the jaw jacking. Things said about ones family especially about female members of ones family involving violence or sexual connotations you can generally assume that fists will start flying no long after. I'm not saying that is what happened. You just asked what would be the possible justification for a physical beating from jaw jacking.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:16 AM ^
Could be, but we'll want the evidence, right? None of this is conclusive. And there will be a court of public opinion, which Michigan seems to be out in front of, and the legal issues. Nothing, nothing, nothing merits a beat down, no matter what the less principled fan thinks. But if it turns out there was a provocation, a lot of fans are going to cling to that. As you see even here (Ezekiel's Creatures, etc.)
I think it would be really healthy if some of these cases, starting with this one, started making their way into the courts. Just to remind everyone that there's an overarching construct that our behavior fits into, and football's not a thing apart. These are legal adults.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:53 PM ^
Yeah according to him the guy that got his head stomped in a 6-1 beat down has to answer questions.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:12 AM ^
one poster on the MSU board was convinced this was all pre-planned by UM to make MSU look bad. lol. The delusion and cope is at 110% right now
October 30th, 2022 at 10:14 AM ^
Just like what Trump supporters say about 1/6.
#nopolitics
October 30th, 2022 at 11:58 AM ^
You beat me to it.
October 30th, 2022 at 8:59 PM ^
Downvoted. #nopolitics
October 30th, 2022 at 10:16 AM ^
Almost all of the comments on RCMB about this incident are unbelievable. They are justifying everything despite the damning video evidence that shows the behavior of their team.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:29 AM ^
Truly, they are the Q Anon fan base.
October 30th, 2022 at 2:36 PM ^
S Anon (pronounced “asinine”).
October 30th, 2022 at 10:32 AM ^
Not sure if it was RCMB or Twitter, but one of the Spartyborg speculated that McBurrows was yelling antisemitic slurs and MSU was merely rallying to the defense of their Jewish brethren
The defense of this is more unhinged than the incident itself which is at least understandable.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:49 AM ^
The few times I've looked at that site, they are truly a disgusting collection of people. You'll never see regret it disappointment in anything bad their team or players do. It's always excuses and blaming Michigan for everything bad that happens. It's never worth it to dip your toe in that cesspool.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:58 AM ^
Ah, yes, the old Jussie Smollet gambit.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
No -- it was Antifa.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:07 PM ^
The MSU radio guys are saying that too. q-anon trump shit is alive and well in the MSU fanbase.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:17 AM ^
Anyone who tries to justify the MSU actions in those videos needs to examine their values and beliefs.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:22 AM ^
The only way a gang assault like that could be possibly justified is if a rapist or pedophile was caught in the act. And even then you just can't do that! But this certainly isn't that situation...
October 30th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
What about child abuse? We did just stomp our little brother…
October 30th, 2022 at 11:58 AM ^
There are a few situations in which MSU’s dastardly act would be justified (e.g., caught committing a ritual killing, about to press the button that’d launch a nuclear weapon), but really I doubt any of them applies here.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:17 AM ^
Look at that douche giving the middle finger to Green. Man what classless trash.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:18 AM ^
Interesting string of videos - thanks for pasting it together. I was all set to neg you for victim blaming (which happened A LOT on the big thread last night), but nope. This was a well crafted post with relevant detail, and no assumptions of guilt, either way. Nice job, OP!
October 30th, 2022 at 10:19 AM ^
Excellent work 🕵️♀️
October 30th, 2022 at 10:20 AM ^
I am still not sure who started jawing first and not convinced Green started it (edit: you didn't say Green started it but on first look I read it that way). Regardless, jawing should never escalate to what happened. Self control is important.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:29 AM ^
The ‘jawing’ was going on ALL GAME. Only a bunch of worthless trash of individuals gang jump another person. It’s what MSU stands for - trash school from start to finish.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:33 AM ^
Another school noteworthy for jawing is PSU. Could see a lot of that going on yesterday vs. OSU as well.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:38 AM ^
We should see what Juwan has to say about this!
October 30th, 2022 at 10:23 AM ^
Only the Sharty program could manage to
1) pay a .500 coach $95mm for 10 years guaranteed for 2 wins against a rival
2) get smacked by that rival the very next year (yet feel vindicated only losing by 3TDs) "Lose with dignity"
3) live off a decades of flukish wins like "trouble with the snap" or "reversed replays" or "the clock game"
4) make 1 player's post game comments (Hart's lil bro) a decade long rallying cry
and still completely outdo themselves and create an even more embarrassing narrative.
This rivalry will now be defined by an out of control program with a bunch of sore losing thugs assaulting a UM player in the tunnel.
Sharty No! Littlest bother shit ever.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:06 PM ^
You forgot that idiotic walk across the field with arms interlocked while Michigan players were still (rightly) on the field.. Every time I try to give MSU the benefit of the doubt and think they're turning the corner, they just revert to being asses.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:49 PM ^
What the hell is Tucker going to do with 95 millimeters?
October 30th, 2022 at 10:25 AM ^
I hope the conference enacts punishment on MSU for this. If left to police themselves they will say it was handled internally and there will be no repercussions or punishment for this assault.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:26 AM ^
Here's a theory: MSU players committed a crime and should be punished accordingly.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:35 AM ^
I'm pretty sure no one involved wants criminal charges.
October 30th, 2022 at 10:39 AM ^
Why the hell not? Throw a couple Sharts into prison, and ruin their football careers permanently. THAT is how you get these morons' attention to the point where even THEY get it into their puny brains that they need to knock this shit off, forever.
This requires SEVERE consequences to serve as a deterrent to future escalation. If they think they "got away with it" this year, what do you think they'll do next year when they're in their own stadium?
October 30th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
They're kids who were frustrated. I don't know that they "jumped" someone, and I don't know that the person they assaulted didn't start by deciding it would be fun to taunt and make fun of them. (I have no idea if that happened or not, of course -- but that's the point; we have no idea what happened.)
None of that excuses them, of course. But going straight to demanding *prison* time (not jail; prison) for two kids who acted out after a highly emotional football game before we even know what happened, whether couched in some kind of "educational" concern or not, is way over the top.
Believe it or not, neither Mel Tucker nor his players are evil, and we need to tone down the rhetoric (and our own sanctimony) just a bit.
October 30th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Well, how about suspending for the season and community service? I tell you what. If punishment is not severe enough, this will happen again.
October 30th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
Suspending them for the season would be more of a vacation. They have to lose something of value. Not be spared more humiliation on the field.