Brady Hoke apologizes to Michigan State over pregame incident

Michigan coach Brady Hoke issued a statement of apology on Sunday over a pregame incident Saturday that angered Michigan State players and head coach Mark Dantonio.

"I want to publicly apologize to Coach Dantonio as well as the players and supporters of Michigan State for our act of poor sportsmanship displayed pregame," Hoke said. "I spoke with Mark earlier today and expressed to him that we meant no disrespect to his team."

Before the game, senior Joe Bolden drove a stake into the field as Michigan players stared down the Spartans. Michigan State players, and Dantonio, definitely noticed.

Dantonio showed his displeasure first by allowing his team to score a late touchdown in the Spartans' 35-11 win. He had plenty more to say after the game.

"You might as well just come out and say what you're feeling at some point in time, because I can only be diplomatic for so long," Dantonio continued. "The little brother stuff, all the disrespect, it doesn't have to go in that direction. We've tried to handle ourself with composure. That doesn't come from the coach. It comes from the program. And throwing the stake down in our backyard out here, and coming out there like they're all that, it got … shoved, the last minute and a half. We were not gonna pull off of that."

Hoke's statement:

"I want to publicly apologize to Coach Dantonio as well as the players and supporters of Michigan State for our act of poor sportsmanship displayed pregame yesterday. I spoke with Mark earlier today and expressed to him that we meant no disrespect to his team. During our regular Friday night team meeting, one of the topics presented to motivate our team was a history lesson addressing commitment and teamwork in a tough environment. A tent stake was presented to the team as a symbol of this concept. The stake was brought into our locker room as a visual reminder, and one of our team leaders chose to take it out on the field. As the leader of our football program, I take full responsibility for the actions of our team. We believe in displaying a high level of respect at the University of Michigan and unfortunately that was not reflected by this action prior to kickoff."

Contributing: Detroit Free Press