The Big Ten refuses to punish Michigan and Michigan State following closing stage skirmish in the rivalry game on Saturday

The Big Ten announced on Tuesday that it will not issue any penalties to Michigan or Michigan State for the altercation that took place at the conclusion of Saturday's rivalry game. The game ended in a 24-17 victory for the Wolverines, marking their third straight over the Spartans.

In the final moments of the game, an altercation between Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and Michigan State defensive end Anthony Jones sparked a bench-clearing incident. Amid the chaos, players from both teams were caught in a scuffle that led to several individuals being knocked to the ground.

Michigan State requested that the Big Ten investigate whether Michigan should face penalties under the conference’s sportsmanship policy. The conference’s disciplinary committee delivered its decision on the matter on Tuesday.

“The Big Ten Conference thoroughly reviewed video of the incident that occurred at the conclusion of Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State football game,” a statement from the Big Ten on Tuesday said.

“Amidst the confrontation, student-athletes from both teams were on the ground and surrounded by so many individuals that both players were completely obscured from view. The video review was inconclusive as to whether individual discipline was appropriate for anyone in the immediate vicinity of the two players who were on the ground."

The Big Ten appreciates the efforts to stop the altercation

In its statement on Tuesday, the Big Ten took time to appreciate the effort of everyone who helped calm the situation on Saturday. It was a tense moment in the closing stages of the rivalry game at The Big House, but intervention from the sidelines aided in halting the altercation.

"While the confrontation was a disappointing conclusion to the contest, the Conference appreciates the efforts made by staff from both teams, security personnel, and game officials to rapidly de-escalate the incident, as well as the responses by both head coaches.”

During his postgame press conference Saturday night, Colston Loveland admitted he had gotten "carried away" by getting involved in the post-play altercation with Jones. The moment sparked the larger incident but the tight end understood the nature of games like that.

"I know how much this rivalry means to everyone," Loveland said. "And it always gets chippy. I kind of got carried away there at the end. We were just talking back and forth, kind of did some shoving and stuff. But that's how the rivalry gets.”

The altercation in the closing stages of the rivalry game on Saturday is a great reminder of the pregame skirmish that occurred in 2018 while Michigan State performed its pregame ritual. These are all testament to the competitive and tense nature of the in-state rivalry game.