Michigan's Jim Harbaugh rips MSU again, doubles down on 'bush league'

Nick Baumgardner | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Michigan's Jim Harbaugh goes off on Mark Dantonio, MSU Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh ripped into Michigan State and Mark Dantonio during his bye week news conference on Monday in Ann Arbor.

Jim Harbaugh is not apologizing. He's not backing away.

He's doubling down.

On Monday, Michigan's football coach once again called Michigan State "bush league" for a pregame scuffle between the entire MSU team and a handful of U-M players — and went as far as accusing the Spartans, led by coach Mark Dantonio, of deliberately baiting Michigan into the situation.

"When you host a team, both teams, you share the field. Each has a sideline, each has a half of the field to warm up on. And then Michigan State locked arms and used every inch of the field in their walk with the attempt of going through or over our guys in a physical manner. To call that unsportsmanlike or to call that bush league is putting it mildly," said Harbaugh, who pulled out a piece of paper with prepared words on them during his Monday press conference. "That could’ve been a real unfortunate incident. And as I said, it’s the opposite of BS. Coach (Dantonio) said that was BS. But that’s not BS. That’s fact. I think that’s something now the two athletic directors really need to get together and talk about.

"I’ll go one step further and use Coach Dantonio’s words from a few years back. It’s not a product of the team but their program. Again, that’s using his words. That could’ve been an unfortunate deal. And I’m proud of our guys for keeping their cool.”

[HERE'S THE VIDEO OF THE PREGAME INCIDENT]

Michigan, Michigan State players in pregame confrontation Michigan players, including Devin Bush (in yellow), refused to move as MSU went through its pregame walk, and a confrontation ensued, Oct. 20, 2018.

Later Monday afternoon, MSU released a statement in response to Harbaugh's comments, stating the team was 2 minutes behind schedule on arriving to the field and that when U-M players were asked to leave the field, as previously arranged according to MSU, the Wolverines did not.

On Monday night, U-M athletic director Warde Manuel released a statement that said, in part, "I had a conversation on the field with Michigan State athletic director Bill Beekman prior to the game regarding the situation that occurred during pre-game warmups. My preference is to keep that conversation and any further discussions between us. I will work with our staff and the conference to see how this situation can be prevented from happening in the future."

Windsor: Harbaugh keeps taking shots at MSU — don't expect him to stop

Prior to kickoff Saturday, Michigan State entered Spartan Stadium for its traditional pregame walk after a few Michigan players had already taken the field to warm up.

Harbaugh said Michigan called MSU earlier in the week to ask when, exactly, the Spartans would be doing their pregame walk so that they could make sure they weren't on the field for it.

From there, he said things continued to change.

"We were aware they did a traditional walk and we contacted them. They send us a book, pregame operations, the most detailed and finest I've ever seen. Has everything in it in writing. But that part was not. So we called them and said 'what time are you guys doing your walk, we don't want to put our players out until you do your traditional walk,' " Harbaugh explained. "They gave us a time. 'It'll be at 9:45 (a.m.).' Said OK, great.' Then, 'well, it might be 9:55, now it is going to be 9:55 a day later.' That walk happened another 10 minutes after that. At no point was there any kind of heads up or, 'hey could you guys please leave the field.'

"I see where they used the word 'juvenile.' That's trying to brush it under the carpet. Their strength coaches were out there leading it, their assistant coaches were out there. Coach Dantonio was right behind it. That had all the earmarkings an evidence of an orchestrated, stormtrooper march. But I think that's Warde will address."

More: Recruits could feel intensity, hate of Michigan-Michigan State rivalry

On Sunday, speaking with reporters, Dantonio described the entire situation as "juvenile."

"As far as everything prior to the game, you know, really not going to even bother commenting on it. I’ve never commented on a coach in the past, and I’m not gonna comment on one now," Dantonio said. "And the whole thing to me was sort of juvenile. And things are gonna happen in rivalry games, but I sort of stand by what I said (Saturday)."

After the game Saturday, Dantonio was asked for his response to Harbaugh calling MSU "bush league" while accusing Dantonio of being on the field behind his team "smiling." His response: "That's B.S.," Dantonio said. "That's B.S. You guys get your cameras out. It's on Fox. I'm not going to go all into that. Go ahead, next question."

Dantonio was on the field with his team, as is always the case with MSU's pregame walk.

Harbaugh was asked whether Michigan believed it was supposed to have the field for warmups at 10 a.m., and he replied by saying "we can go out on the field at 9:30, 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, it comes open to us when it comes open. But we were trying to not be out there when they were doing their traditional walk. That's when the back-and-forth with the vagueness, they even told us they don't do it. Came to a certain point where 'maybe they're not doing it' so guys went out to get loosened up for a game that starts at (noon)."

After the game, Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke told reporters the Spartans were late for their pregame walk, but said members of the team's strength staff asked Michigan's players to leave the field. Harbaugh and Michigan have disputed that.

More: Michigan State's account of pregame skirmish with Michigan

Asked whether he had any issues with Bush's reaction to tear up the Spartan logo at midfield, Harbaugh said he did not. He backed his player. And once again accused Michigan State of setting it up.

“I don’t blame Devin," Harbaugh said. "I like the way our guys handled it. That’d be like going back and saying, ‘Oh look at Devin Bush! Look at him out there! He’s out at midfield scraping up the logo!” After what just took place, that’s straight out of the (old Bad Boy) Pistons playbook. Do something to them, say something to them, elbow them, and then when somebody else does something back, then flop. That’s how I think about that as well. Again, it’s unsportsmanlike, it’s bush league and that is putting it very mildly.”