Growing up in Michigan, you have to pick which side you're going to cheer for. Are you going to wear Green and White and cheer for the Michigan State Spartans or are you going to wear Maize and Blue and cheer on the Michigan Wolverines?

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Credit: Amazon
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On Saturday night when Michigan State was playing Michigan under the lights at the Big House, even the most diehard Spartan fan probably had a feeling that U of M would win this year's match-up for the Paul Bunyon Trophy.

History Of The Paul Bunyan Trophy

Michigan v Michigan State
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The winner of each year's game receives the Paul Bunyan Trophy, a four-foot wooden statue of a lumberjack that was first presented in 1953 to commemorate Michigan State's beginning of football competition as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

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While I'm sure most people expected the Wolverine victory, I don't think anyone could have predicted what would happen after the game ended.

Mel Tucker Swings At U of M Fan After The Game

Credit: @umichheadline via Twitter
Credit: @umichheadline via Twitter
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A video was posted to Twitter after the game showing what appears to be a U of M fan touching MSU Football Coach Mel Tucker on the head. In the video, you see Tucker react to the unwelcomed head tap by turning around and swatting at the person and just before the video cuts off, Tucker appears to point his finger at the fan.

Watch: MSU Football Coach Mel Tucker Reacts To U of M Fan Touching His Head

If a player or coach is heading in or out of a tunnel at a sporting event, it's perfectly fine to ask for an autograph or high five but you can't as a fan just randomly touch someone. At the same time, Mel Tucker had a right to be fired up, but as the head coach of the team, he needs to lead by example and maintain his composure. If something would have been thrown at him then that's a totally different conversation for another day.

MSU and U of M Football Players Scuffle In Tunnel After The Game

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed the media after the game and had this to say about the scuffle in the tunnel.

Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl - Georgia v Michigan
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What happened after the game is completely unacceptable. I've talked to the commissioner, he's looking into it. The police are also looking into it because they've seen the video and they're addressing it. We will leave it in their hands, but this is not how we should interact after a game. This is not the way another team should grab a player and do what they did, it's completely and utterly unacceptable. We will let the Big Ten and law enforcement handle it, but this is not what a rivalry should be about.

 

Michigan State University Issues Statement After MSU / U of M altercation

Credit: MSU_Athletics via Twitter
Credit: MSU_Athletics via Twitter
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U of M Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton's Statement

Credit: @TomVH via Twitter
Credit: @TomVH via Twitter
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U of M Player Gemon Green and His Family Are Filing Charges

Credit: @mattcharboneau via Twitter
Credit: @mattcharboneau via Twitter
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According to a report from ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren, Green’s father has stated that the family will be pressing charges and taking legal action against those involved in the incident.

Watch MSU Football Players Assaulting U of M Player

Mel Tucker Addresses The Media

Monday afternoon Michigan State Football head coach Mel Tucker addressed the media saying he is deeply sorry for what happened on Saturday and that the university will comply with all authorities involved.

Credit: @tomvh via Twitter
Credit: @tomvh via Twitter
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Should MSU Football Coach Mel Tucker Be Fired And His Players Charged?

I'm a lifelong MSU fan and have been disappointed with how poorly the team has played this season. After Mel Tucker's massive $95 million deal in the offseason fans definitely expected a better team on the field. Instead, we've seen a disappointing 3-5 team that is currently in dead last of the Big 10 East. That poor record and Tucker swinging at a U of M fan that touched his head has several people I know calling for Tucker to be fired and the players to face charges.

From what I've seen so far, there is absolutely nothing to justify what happened in the tunnel after the game, and those young men that assaulted another player by striking him with their helmets should face criminal charges and be kicked off the team.

When it comes to Mel Tucker being fired, it wasn't a good look for him to lose his cool on the fan and for his players to beat up opposing players after the game. With that being said, I don't think that you can justify firing Mel Tucker for what happened. He's the leader of the team but what could he have done differently to stop those players from doing what they did? I'm a Michigan State fan but I would say the same thing if it was Jim Harbaugh's players attacking a Spartan player.

What do you think?

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