HANCOCK — Five Finlandia University football players were dismissed from the university Tuesday for allegedly fostering a hostile environment on campus.

In a statement sent to students and staff Wednesday, Finlandia confirmed five students had been dismissed from the university. The university said the dismissals were in response to “a quickly escalating hostile climate characterized by student-to-student threats, intimidation and retaliation.”

“The dismissal of five students is an uncommon action for our small learning community,” the release said. “However, Finlandia University does not tolerate verbal, physical or electronic forms of intimidation, threat or retaliation. These behaviors are contrary to Finlandia’s core values for student success including a strong sense of community and personal well-being.”

Athletic Director Curtis Wittenburg did not comment on the report but said “athletes are involved.” Finlandia declined to release names of the students, citing university policy.

Finlandia football player Brandon Landin said the university had suspended him for two years. Upon informing him of the suspension, university officials said several Finlandia baseball players had felt threatened by him. Landin said it had been “a while” since he’d seen any of the baseball players he had allegedly threatened.

Landin said he had been given 45 minutes to pack and leave the university.

“I wasn’t given a notice that I was under any investigation,” he said. “That was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I feel I was wrongly accused. We haven’t gotten to make a statement. We were kicked out in the cold.”

A recent post on the Upper Peninsula Breaking News blog by Greg Peterson discussed recent altercations involving several Finlandia University student-athletes. The blog stated two arrests were made resulting from an assault and battery that occurred off-campus Friday night.

“The brawl occurred Friday night at a residence off-campus during a party where the football and baseball players started feuding,” the blog post stated.

Finlandia sent an email to staff Monday regarding an off-campus incident involving students Friday night; though the incident was not specified, the email noted “emotions and tensions are running high” on campus.

Landin said he had been at the Friday night party, though he said he had not witnessed the fight. His secondhand report that the fight was between a football player and a baseball player was consistent with law enforcement reports of a two-person fight. Landin would not comment on the identity of the players said to be in the fight Friday.

Landin said he had been in Las Vegas Thanksgiving weekend during another alleged altercation at Finlandia between some football and baseball players during a pickup basketball game. He said the incident, as with Friday’s, had been characterized to him as a “scuffle.”

The blog went on to say the “suspects were reportedly taken into custody by Michigan State Police.” A spokesman for the Michigan State Police-Calumet Post, however, said no personnel from the post made any arrests in relation to the alleged incident.

Peterson’s post included the names of two men he said were arrested, there was only one arrest made in relation to the incident.

Houghton Police Chief John Donnelly of the Department did confirm the arrest on a warrant of a Finlandia student involved in an assault and battery incident. The warrant was served after an investigation of an incident that took place Friday night within the city of Houghton, but Donnelly refused to release the name of the suspect pending an arraignment.

While Donnelly did not release the name of the suspect arrested, the Gazette was able to confirm Peterson’s assertion that the name of the man arrested was Tajuante Anderson, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Peterson’s blog post insinuated the student-athletes were removed amid rumors of rampant racism across campus. The blog post also stated police had to escort an expelled football player from campus after a confrontation between police, campus security, the football coach and another football player.

When contacted, Hancock Police Chief Wayne Butler said his department was not involved in the incident.

Also discussed in the blog was an alleged meeting that took place after the incident.

“The meeting involved expelled players, Head Football Coach Tim Driscoll, Athletic Director Curtis Wittenberg and even Finlandia University President Philip Johnson, local law enforcement, and campus security,” the post stated.

Butler said no one in his department was a party to such a meeting, and Donnelly said also that at no time was his department involved in the meeting.

“Police escorted five football players from Finlandia campus, a source said,” the post stated.

While the Hancock City Police were present, police said they did not escort the students. Finlandia’s Wednesday email said the Office of Campus Safety and Security had acted in the removal.

“There was nothing criminal involved, which is why it is called a civil standby,” a Hancock officer on the scene stated. “We were just asked to be present in the event we were needed. All the students left peacefully with no problems.”

Landin plans to appeal his suspension.

“We were treated unfairly,” he said. “We weren’t given a chance to make our case.”