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Published Oct 31, 2022
Everything Jim Harbaugh Said: More On MSU Attack, Previewing Rutgers
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Brandon Justice  •  Maize&BlueReview
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Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh met with the media two days after the Wolverines' first win over Michigan State since 2019.

Obviously, a lot more happened than football on Saturday night, including an attack from several Spartans on two Wolverines football players.

Apart from the incident, U-M still has an undefeated season to continue sculpting as it travels to Rutgers this week.

Harbaugh touched on all of that & more during his weekly Monday press conference.

Opening statement:

"Right now, we have an ongoing police investigation. What happened in the tunnel is egregious ... Sickening to watch the videos that are on social media right now. And also, the ABC tunnel cam is at a higher elevation -- it shows much more of what took place. As I said, those are sickening to watch. There needs to be accountability. There needs to be a full, thorough, and timely investigation. I can't imagine that this will not result in criminal charges."

Continued:

"The videos are bad. It's clear what transpired. It seems very open and shut. As they say, watch the tape. I'm coming from the perspective of being a parent, and these young men are entrusted to me by their families to the program, and we have the responsibility to each player to treat them like our own, and I take that responsibility very seriously. An apology will not get the job done in this instance. There should be serious consequences for the many individuals that are culpable. On behalf of the 2022 Michigan football team -- our players, coaches, staff, and university -- this has been a very traumatic experience for everybody, especially Ja'Den & Gemon. We're going to support them and their families in every possible way."

Can you give us any sort of help update on those two players?

"Yeah, they've been checked out. They've got injuries.

Every year or every other year, there's something that happens in this rivalry. Do you think that just generally, when it comes to this Michigan, Michigan State rivalry, things have gone too far?

"No, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't buy any, um, excuse that's gonna be laid off on the rivalry or the tunnel or any other thing that somebody could possibly blame? These are the actions of these individuals, and they need to be accountable for them."

Do you know what prompted all of this?

"Two of our guys walking up a tunnel and, uh, exactly what the video shows from there,

Were words exchanged?

"Sports Information Director Dave Ablauf: You guys have to understand. There are certain things we have to let the legal process play out. So we can't comment on a lot of things."

Has Mel Tucker reached out, and do you have plans to talk to him about the incident?

"No, he has not reached out."

Do you think that the coach sets the tone for the team's behavior?

"I'm not gonna make a comment about that. And I'm not gonna put it off on any other excuse or place, as I just mentioned, where people will try to go. It's something other than the action of these individuals, the right.

Jim, I know it's still ongoing, but are there any other of your players that were hurt or involved, or are we just talking about the two?

"Those are the two."

Why were those two players, not with the rest of their team, separated from Michigan State?

"Again, they were walking up the tunnel exactly how they had each of the last games, those two players did the same thing. The Penn State game did the same thing. You know, in the previous games, they go up the tunnel with the other players."

In terms of the incident, might there be any changes, or might the Big 10 get involved in any of this as it pertains to trouble in the tunnel?

"Again, we've been doing this. The tunnel's been in existence for nearly 100 years. When it comes to halftime, there's a specific procedure. The visiting team is closest to the, uh, to the tunnel. They exit and go up the tunnel first. Michigan team comes to about half field, just past half field, forms a crescent moon. Then wait until all the visitors and their staff have gone into the tunnel. Once they're into the tunnel, completely into the tunnel, and Michigan's team starts moving into the tunnel, the other team goes up to the tunnel, they turn left, go into their locker room, the Michigan team follows, and then goes into, goes into ours. After the game, we've never had any kind of incident. Those are the people that are accountable. I mean, the video shows, you know, 4, 5, 6 on 1; 4, 5, 6 on another, dragging them into -- well, you saw it -- where the media room is in that hallway.

On the chronology of the incident, and if McBurrows stepped in to help Green:

"Yeah, they've given all their statements to the police. They were walking up the tunnel together -- you see that in the video. Gemon was punched & Ja'Den was trying to help. and I'll let the investigation proceed from there."

On Gemon Green's availability for Saturday:

"I don't know yet."

On Donovan Edwards' anti-semitic tweets:

"As you know, it was a mistaken and inadvertent tweet. Something that he apologized for, making that retweet. I talked to Donovan. I know the kind of person Donovan is. He clearly explained who he is and what his position is, and that was sufficient."

On J.J. McCarthy:

"I just think JJ continues to improve game by game. His growth is, you know, we're, we're very pleased with it. Whether he is throwing from the pocket, whether he is out of the pocket, or where he is running himself, he continues to make great decisions and play the position very well.

On the red zone struggles:

"Yeah, we got inside the 10, uh, especially the 10. I believe four times, two touchdowns, and two field goals. The two that we had to settle for field goals. We didn't gain positive yardage on the first down play, you know, one at the six, and then we're at the nine. You know, something that we will continue to work on. We definitely want to get those touchdowns."

"Also, have a great kicker. Jake Moody, that was a fantastic game. Five field goals, 54-yarder. He's been tremendous, and when it comes to putting points on the board, there's not another kicker we'd rather have.

On the challenge of preparing his team following the MSU assault:

"Yeah, it's been a challenge. It's been traumatic, but we're in it right now. We'll face the challenge head-on and support our players in every way."

On Rutgers & playing tough games against them lately:

"Yeah, it's always been a challenging team to play. Very physical team. Defense, offense, and special teams -- very well-coached. Same thing you say about a Greg Schiano team every time you go to play them."

More on the Donovan Edwards tweet, details of the mistake, and the message to the team:

"It was addressed. Donovan addressed it with the team as well. He referred to it as a chance for education. That's something that we're all about here. To ask me what exactly happened, to define the mistake -- you know, I can't do that. I wasn't there. But yeah, I did talk about it with Donovan. I know it's in his heart. He explained it thoroughly. Publicly, you know, explained that. The administration: Warde (Manuel), myself -- we've all spoke to him. We're around him every day. We believe him. We understand what he's, what he's about. He made a sincere apology, not only publicly, but to our football team as well. He's looking at it as a learning experience and a chance for growth as well.

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