A fight broke out on the football field after the University of Michigan beat Ohio State University in a 13-10 upset on Saturday.
Video of the incident showed players on the two rival teams brawling after Michigan Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag in the OSU Buckeyes' stadium.
Police, who were deployed to break up the post-game fracas, said they used pepper spray on the college athletes.
"Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation," Dan Hedman, a spokesperson for Ohio State, said in a statement. "During this scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for game days and will continue to investigate this matter."
One responding officer was injured and taken to the hospital during the incident, according to police union president Brian Steel.
"Officers are authorized to use pepper spray to stop assaults and protect themselves and others," Steel said in a post on X.
Ohio State football coach Ryan Day pointed to the Michigan team's planting of their flag as what started the fight.
"This is our field, and certainly we're embarrassed at the fact that we lost the game, but there's some prideful guys on this team that weren't just going to let that happen," Day said.