A reporter “caught pepper spray” during a disturbance that erupted between Michigan State and Ohio State after the Wolverines' 13-10 victory over their hated rival in Columbus on Saturday.
97.1 The Fan's Stephanie Otay said on social media shortly afterward: Learn more in the video shared on X “Police came out and started pepper spraying” everywhere.
“My eyes were glued to it,” Otay said in the video, holding a tissue.
Warning: Explicit language
Otay's video then panned to a chaotic scene in the middle, including a moment when she appeared to be pepper sprayed as the camera went black.
“I don't know where it came from, but there was a lot of confusion,” Otay said. “This is the first time I've ever had pepper spray sprayed in front of me.”
in a shared statement “After the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up the altercation on the field,” the Ohio State University Police Department said Saturday afternoon. “During the scuffle, multiple law enforcement officers representing Ohio State and Michigan State Pepper spray was applied,'' the statement said.
“OSUPD is the lead agency for the game and will continue to investigate,” the statement concluded.
The violent scene erupted shortly after Michigan players tried to plant their flag over the Ohio State logo after the Wolverines defeated the No. 2 Buckeyes on Saturday.
Michigan players were seen on the broadcast crying on the sideline.
with a follow-up video message Otay shared the post late Saturday, saying she was “okay” and reflecting on her experience reporting from the chaos.
“What an experience to be pepper sprayed and to be in an altercation like that. Honestly, it's a reporter's dream to be involved in a game like that,” she said. said.
“No, I'm fine. It hurt at first. I was more scared of my eyesight than I was of being blind, as you can hear when the video was still spinning. I was worried. And when people said, “Oh, it was pepper spray,” I felt all the pain then. But yeah, I immediately felt better and recovered and went into the post game. … We're all fine, we were excited in a way about the experience, it was thrilling and chaotic, but it was of It's a game for you guys. ”
The riot at Ohio State was just one of the violent scenes that erupted across the college football world during Rivalry Week, with brawls breaking out over flag planting during numerous contests.
