Spartans’ Magic Johnson statue vandalized, presumably by Michigan fans

So rivalry week has come to this -- Magic Johnson’s face being scrubbed with a brush.

Several areas around the Michigan State campus have been vandalized this week ahead of the Spartans’ showdown with rival Michigan on Saturday. The most notable target: a statue of basketball legend Magic Johnson, which had its face painted yellow, a large M painted on its chest and the words “BEAT STATE” painted on the foundation.

Utility workers were on cleanup duty Thursday morning, with one of them attempting to remove the paint from the statue’s face using a fine-toothed brush.

“We are going to be out here for a while,” Tracy Harris told mlive.com. “This statue has so many details on it, it’s going to take a long time to get him cleaned up.”

The campus’ iconic Spartan statue has been under close guard all week, but vandals managed to get to a brick wall behind it. Other targeted areas included a sidewalk near Munn field and the steps of the student union building.

But before you start feeling too bad for Michigan State, remember that last year during rivalry week the block letter M on Michigan’s Diag was painted green, with the letters SU added after it. That area of the Michigan campus is being closely guarded this week.