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Posted on Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 12:16 p.m.

Big Ten says it will not fine Michigan football team after fans rushed the field

By Kyle Meinke

The Big Ten says the Michigan football team will not face any penalties after fans rushed the field following a victory against visiting Ohio State last weekend.

Conference spokesman Scott Chipman said the league, unlike others, has no policies or penalties for rushing the field.

FANS-OHIO-STATE.JPG

Michigan fans stream onto the field after the Wolverines' 40-34 victory against Ohio State.

Jim Knight | AnnArbor.com

Just this week, the SEC fined Kentucky $50,000 after fans rushed the field Saturday following a 10-7 win against Tennessee. The fine is part of a seven-year league policy that limits access to fields of play.

First-offenses carry a fine of $5,000, and subsequent offenses can escalate to $50,000.

“This policy is designed to create a safe environment for everyone who participates and attends our athletic contests,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement. “The security and protection of our student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans is our primary concern.”

The 17th-ranked Wolverines (10-2, 6-2), who ended a seven-year losing streak to the rival Buckeyes with a 40-34 win on Saturday, won't have to worry about such consequences.

They now are awaiting their bowl fate, which is expected to be announced Sunday.

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.

Comments

a2miguy

Sun, Dec 4, 2011 : 3:54 a.m.

"The security and protection of our student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans is our primary concern." Translation: "The security and protection of our financial coffers from lawsuit is our primary concern."

trigg7

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 6:32 p.m.

what do you expect from a team on probation.

Tru2Blu76

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 4:23 p.m.

So long as there's no clear evidence that field-rushing is causing injuries to players, staff or fans then this activity should be allowed. However: this is not only the Age of Protecting Us From Ourselves (AOPUFO), it's also the Age of Massive Liability Claims (AOMLC). How many times have we seen people do something clumsy or risky, get injured and then sue "whoever has lots of money?" As for controlling the crowd: the Soviet occupation of Europe showed us how "real crowd control" is accomplished, just like the Syrian Army is doing today. First ones over the barrier get shot. (Just kidding)

Engineer

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 3:06 a.m.

It is our field not the big tens for crying out load. Tell them to stick it where the sun does not shine.

rightmind250

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 2:26 p.m.

Except when we play MSU, then we need those B10 officials. We don't want MSU playing too rough.

Mick

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 7:29 a.m.

boy, no kidding!

D21

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 10:51 p.m.

Good one Theo, Actually all of these fans were chasing after one person, RR, all over the field after he was seen trying to tell Denard on the sidelines to defect to Zona.

semperveritas

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 9:56 p.m.

IF there were a regulation against 'field rushing' IF we did violate that rule-----i'd bet the athletic department would be happy to pay it once each season. this win was worth the 5K or even 50K.

MRunner73

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 8:54 p.m.

This "safety" malarky is getting old. Yes, as one poster said, "it was a slow graze"...I was AT the game. I certainly was in hurry to leave as did 99% of those in attendence. That included most of the Buckeye fans, from I observed. I witnessed a slow migration of fans onto the playing field which came mostly from the student section. I thought it was great because this is their time as University of Michigan students to live in some fantastic moments. As an alum, I can remember being part of similar joyous moments. AA.com always has an article of arrests and police incidents and there wasn't anything about students getting injured from going onto the playing field. The game was close, and it was like the Notre Dame night game. Michigan did not put this game away until the 59:23 mark. It was a back and forth battle the entire game. The there was a lot of excitement as well as emotion during that game. The victory was and is very significant. It was a major emotional hurdle for the team and the fans. Let's hope for more in the future.

K32

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.

The usual crude behavior we expect from UM fans.

oldblueypsi

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 2:31 p.m.

Crude? Compared to what? Tell me: What Michigan city ranks first in public couch burnings during football season? Hint: not Ann Arbor. This was not an angry violent mob seeking to wreak havoc upon the immediate area. This was a large gathering of like minded souls joining in a peaceful celebration of a sports victory.

Mick

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 7:30 a.m.

Darn it, sorry smokeblwr, I meant that at K32, your screen name threw me off.

semperveritas

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 9:58 p.m.

let's see-----great joy / wild exuberation / hugging and celebrating-----not sure WHERE that qualifies as 'crude behavior'.

smokeblwr

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.

Take your trollin' elsewhere Sparty!

David Vande Bunte

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 7:57 p.m.

"Conference spokesman Scott Chipman said the league, unlike others, has no policies or penalties for rushing the field." Not to be snarky, but if the B1G doesn't have a policy, why is this even a newsworthy story? If there aren't any rules against it, was anyone thinking the B1G was going to fine them?

unclefred

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:58 p.m.

A sad commentary on protecting people from themselves. When I was a student the goal posts came down when we won "The Game". The student(s) at the top of the posts was probably at risk but he/she never seemed to mind and at least when I was there no one was injured to the point that they required medical care.

smokeblwr

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.

Yeah, how come nobody climbs the goal posts anymore? Back in my day we threw toilet paper and tore down goalposts. I think kids are just too hefty to haul themselves up there. Have you seen them? Probably couldn't do a single chin up. I blame the internet and smart phones.

heartbreakM

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:55 p.m.

When I saw the headline, I thought this was a joke.

Theo212

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:47 p.m.

Like the other old-timers (everyone) on this board, I was there in '79 for the Wangler-to-Carter Corso Breaker. Now THAT was a field rush. Still etched in Ol' Theo's brain is the bell-bottom wearing, smelling-of-smoke longhairs (couldn't tell who was male and who was female) charging across the turf into the south end zone as if they were all being chased by the draft board. Them was the days...

Mick

Sat, Dec 3, 2011 : 7:18 a.m.

Theo, that was funny, I actually up voted you for the 1st time. Although, there are some younger folks on here and I don't consider myself an old geezer, so there.

smokeblwr

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 9:26 p.m.

What did Corso say after the game? Probably something like "Oh, efff it!"

Grant

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:32 p.m.

It's absurd to "rush" or even slowly enter the field after beating an unranked team. Act like you've done it before. Yes, it's been a ridiculously long time, but Michigan is a proud program, and proud programs don't rush the field. That's reserved for teams like Nevada beating Boise.

Blue Marker

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 7:19 p.m.

You do know what an arch rival is, right? People carefully walking to the Block M at the center of Michigan Stadium to celebrate a victory of Ohio is not only acceptable but encouraged.

DonAZ

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:30 p.m.

A key distinction is *when* the crowd enters the field of play -- before the final whistle or after. In the case of Michigan it was after. I can see the Big 10 (and other conferences) discouraging fans on the field before the final whistle. After? Not so much ... particularly after, as lumberg says, it was pure emotion and celebration. And as riverraisin says, "How in the heck is the university supposed to prevent it?" Suppose you have 500 police ringing the stadium. They'd still be outnumbered 200 to 1.

Terry Star21

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:20 p.m.

I believe this was a good decision by the Big Ten. This isn't a common phenom, reserved for beating a Top Five Team or in this case the Nation's number one rivalry, one that saw us on the wrong end too many years. And it was the last home game. I do agree with lumberg above, the fans (mostly students) did not rush the field causing panic, trampling or dangerous scenario's. I see no harm in it however, the crowd had pretty much filled the grounds - and a medical emergency could have been very difficult to get through or assistance.

riverraisin

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:05 p.m.

How in the heck is a university supposed to prevent it? Tear gas and pepper spray? A stern warning? Immediate ejection? Keystone Cops?

lumberg48108

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:01 p.m.

First off - they did not rush the field - it was a slow graze, like an old man entering a warm bath second, who does not like the image of fans rushing the field after a big win - its always one of the best clips to show its pure emotion and celebration - on the field or court - its sad some leagues have policies against this and the only reason I can think of is liability how sad is that?

lumberg48108

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.

and it has happened - fans rush the field before the game is over and are forced to leave - its not a big deal --- takes less time to clear the field than an average review of play via instant replay

garrisondyer

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 : 6:23 p.m.

Very.