Ryan Day didn’t know what happened.
After Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to Michigan, tensions boiled over when the Wolverines attempted to plant their flag at midfield, sparking a postgame altercation. In the aftermath, Day appeared bewildered, seemingly unaware of the chaos unfolding just a few yards away.
An altercation breaks out after Michigan’s upset victory over Ohio State when Michigan players attempt to plant their team flag over the Buckeyes logo.
“Now there is some skirmishes on the field. An unsportsmanlike gesture by Michigan.” -Gus Johnsonpic.twitter.com/vJdiggVp3E
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 30, 2024
By the time Day stepped to the podium, he had a better idea of what transpired but was still loose on details.
And yet, Day took up for his players.
It took a bit for the question to be asked, being that the postgame scuffle, while fresh, had little to do with the Buckeyes dropping their fourth straight game at the hands of the Wolverines.
Day didn’t lament Michigan’s actions as much as Gus Johnson did, but when prompted by ESPN’s Jake Trotter, he seemed to defend his team’s reaction.
“I don’t know all the details of it, but I know that these guys are looking to put a flag on our field, and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,” the Ohio State head coach said during his postgame press conference. “I’ll find out exactly what happened, but this is our field. Certainly, we’re embarrassed with the fact that we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys on this team that just weren’t going to let this happen.”
Later, Day was asked about how his team fared injury-wise and whether he had addressed his players following the postgame altercation.
“You know, again, without knowing all the details, there’s some prideful guys on our team that aren’t just gonna sit back and watch that happen,” Day added.
Day appeared to want to add more, but Ohio State’s Sports Information Director handed him a lifeline, saying that they had time for just a couple of more questions.
And while his Buckeyes may have fallen to Michigan, surrendering their pride was never on the table. Though, it did prompt Michigan’s Kalel Mullings to remark that the Buckeyes needed to learn how to lose with dignity.
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About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.