EAST LANSING — Michigan State interim president John Engler blasted the Big Ten’s decision to issue a $10,000 fine to the university for a pregame scuffle last week at Spartan Stadium.

The former governor on the 94.9 WMMQ-FM pregame show Saturday called commissioner Jim Delany’s ruling “absurd” and blamed Michigan for the incident.

“It was a setup. I think the whole thing was staged and the behavior just outrageous,” Engler said. “The idea that Michigan State gets fined is absurd. The Michigan player (Devin Bush) that was out there tearing up the field, that seemed to be the single-most egregious act. I mean, blocking the players was dumb, the players as they did the march. But his behavior in front of everyone, trying to tear up the field and forcing our groundskeeper to come out and fix it — come on.

“I was told— and I haven’t been around very long — that down at the Big Ten headquarters, the scarlet and gray (Ohio State) and the maize and blue (Michigan) have a little status. And it sure looked like it this week.”

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Engler said he asked Bill Beekman if MSU could respond to the Big Ten’s ruling, which also reprimanded coach Mark Dantonio, as well as Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and linebacker Devin Bush. The new athletic director, Engler said, told him the league’s university presidents made an agreement that schools cannot contend the commissioner’s ruling.

Engler said Big Ten presidents have given Delany “God-like authority.”

“This has come from on high and there is no appeal,” Engler said, adding that the reprimands “means nothing. It’s just (Delany) responding to the public coverage of the incident. He might as well have just said, ‘Tut tut and go.’”

League officials determined MSU violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy by walking across the field with linked arms “and initiated contact with multiple members of Michigan’s team who were legitimately on the field during pregame warmups,” according to a conference release. The monetary fine was due to this.

Dantonio was reprimanded “for failing to take action to mitigate a foreseeable conflict from occurring.” Dantonio was on the field with his team, as is always the case with MSU's pregame walk.

The league reprimanded Bush for his conduct, which included grinding his cleats repeatedly into the midfield logo and yelling at MSU players.

According to Engler, host schools do not have to allow visiting teams on the field until 90 minutes before kickoff.

“I think it is one of the dumbest decisions that I’ve seen. And I haven’t seen many decisions, but I’ve watched over the years,” Engler said. “But how is this possibly justified, other than the fact the game was held in Spartan Stadium? It’s like a penalty because we had the home field. …

“Michigan asked to come out early and warm up, and we said that was OK. But we do this march, we’ve done it ever since Mark Dantonio has been here. And they weren’t late, they were pretty much right on time.”

MSU did its team walk at 9:55 a.m. Saturday before the game against Purdue. The Boilermakers came out on the field afterward to go through light warmups without uniforms.

Engler said he expects changes to occur.

“Purdue, to their credit, called and said, ‘What’s the procedure?’” Engler said. “But I think what it would say in the future is we’re gonna make that 90 minutes hard and fast. And we’ll have our march out a way before the 90 minutes is reached. (Opponents) won’t even be on the field. You don’t have to let anyone on until 90 minutes before. So if you want to warm up 100 minutes before the game, the answer will be no.”

The Wolverines beat MSU last week, 21-7, and Engler had strong words for Michigan fans.

“It’s sort of like the reaction from down south (U-M). I mean, the third time in 11 games they get a win, and we’re right back to you think it’s business as usual,” he said. “Well, we’ll see.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!