Following a 13-10 upset victory by the Michigan Wolverines over the rival Ohio State Buckeyes, officers from law enforcement agencies worked to break up a fight that started at midfield. As personnel from both teams scuffled in the middle of general postgame activities, the officers decided to deploy pepper spray to cease this altercation. Numerous athletes were impacted by the defense mechanism, in addition to media members who were covering the game, capturing footage and interviewing players and coaches. During Monday’s episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, on-air talent and producer Lucy Rohden recalled her experience within the fracas from Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Rohden, who was on location to shoot content for Meadowlark Media, had compiled a plan with film director Rose Arias about how to best gather footage at the end of the game. The intent was to have Arias follow the Michigan football team for the postgame celebrations, which included running towards the band and cheerleaders, and then immediately exiting the stadium to speak with disappointed Ohio State fans. While the first part of this plan started without any complications, everything changed once Michigan players procured their flag emblazoned with the school insignia and chose to plant it midfield.
“We’re standing there, and a Michigan player runs up to us and starts throwing up, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, guess it was a tough game,’” Rohden said. “It’s really cold outside, and so I just didn’t assume that someone got pepper sprayed because we were watching the fights happen, and we saw people get tackled, we saw student assistants on the ground with three cops holding them down. It was crazy, and then another Michigan player walks up and he’s sobbing uncontrollably.”
One of Rohden’s colleagues began to feel the pepper spray and instructed her to move out of the area. As they escaped the melee, they looked back and saw Arias on the ground, creating concern about what had taken place. Before Rohden went to check on her colleague, she started to laugh because they are close friends and found the situation to be amusing.
“[W]e ran back, went into the line of action to make sure our dear Rose was okay, and all the Michigan players really helped her out,” Rohden said. “They gave her their towels and they had medics come. She was okay, she got pepper sprayed in one eye. A state trooper came and helped her, not one who did the pepper spray, but someone else.”
Le Batard then played a video of Arias reflecting on what took place outside of the stadium in a video with Rohden where she communicated that she was doing okay. Once this concluded, Rohden divulged that they had a video of Arias yelling as she was pepper sprayed, leading Le Batard and other members of the show to wonder where it was and how to play it expediently.
“Hurry up and get that – get it immediately!” Le Batard exclaimed. “Why are we waiting? How has it taken this long?”
Stephanie Otey, a reporter for 97.1 The Fan, was on the field when law enforcement officers began utilizing pepper spray to break up the fight. After the situation simmered down, she took to social media to detail her experience, which included being pepper sprayed in the eyes and presumably being temporarily unable to see. Otey was filming the altercation at midfield at the moment where she was pepper sprayed and received help as she was in pain.
“I don’t know where it came from, but there was a lot of chaos,” Otey said. “First time being pepper sprayed, right in my eyes.”
Later in the day, Otey shared a follow-up message on social media where she reflected on the incident and assured her followers that she was fine. In the immediate aftermath of being pepper sprayed, she was concerned about her vision but fortunately experienced a haste recovery.
“What an experience to get pepper sprayed and to be in a quarrel like that,” Otey remarked. “Honestly, it’s kind of like a reporter’s dream to be part of those kinds of games.”
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