REPORT: Police Justified in Use of Pepper Spray During Michigan-OSU Brawl

By Dan Zealley

On3 Sports reports that The Athletic received the report after Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

NEW: 3 department officials, including Ohio State’s chief of police, justified the use of pepper spray following Michigan-OSU, @TheAthletic reports. https://t.co/nrdsnF8Srt pic.twitter.com/fODoDSXBVa

— On3 (@On3sports) February 27, 2025

Michigan-Ohio State is considered one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports. This was in full view this past November in Columbus. After Michigan won its fourth straight game in the rivalry, Michigan players attempted to plant their team flag in the logo at midfield. Ohio State players went to stop this from happening and a fight ensued. The police intervened to break up a potential brawl at midfield by using pepper spray.

“Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation,” a police statement read shortly after the game. “During the scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games & will continue to investigate.”

The reporting revealed that three department officials, including Ohio State’s chief of police, agreed that the use of pepper spray was “reasonable.”

Michigan Wolverines defensive lineman Kenneth Grant (78) goes after Ohio State Buckeyes safety Jaylen McClain after the game during a fight at the middle of the field after the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.

Michigan running back Kalel Mullings reacted by saying, “All that fighting, we had 60 minutes, we had four quarters to do all that fighting. Now, people want to talk and fight. That’s wrong. It’s just bad for the game. Classless, in my opinion. People got to be better.”

The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is tense 365 days a year. Coaches lose their job solely based on this game. After this year’s game, the Buckeyes went on to roll through the playoffs to win the national championship. That altercation just might have been that “fight” they needed to jumpstart their championship run.