Juwan Howard has once again guided Michigan on a deep NCAA Tournament run.
The Wolverines were considered by many to be a bubble team heading into Selection Sunday, and it was even more of a surprise to see them seeded as high as an 11-seed. But for the second straight tournament appearance, Howard and the Wolverines have reached the Sweet 16, now having a chance to move to a second straight Elite Eight if they can beat No. 2 Villanova in the south region on Thursday.
But the end of this season was originally not looking quite as glamorous. Howard was suspended for the remainder of the regular season after an altercation with Wisconsin's coaching staff following a 77-63 Badger win on Feb. 21.
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Here's what led to Howard's end-of-season suspension:
Why was Juwan Howard suspended?
Back on Feb. 20, Wisconsin beat Michigan, and the two teams lined up for the post-game handshake. As they were lined up, Howard refused to shake the hand of Wisconsin coach Greg Gard and appeared to shout, "I'll remember that s—" and telling Gard not to touch him in NSFW terms.
Gard put his hand Howard's elbow to try and stop him from walking away and getting him to hear his response, and Howard put his hand on Gard's pullover. The exchange progressively became more heated as the teams surrounded the two head coaches.
(Editor's note: Video has NSFW language.)
Here's really good raw video of the aftermath of #Michigan and #Wisconsin. You can clearly hear Juwan Howard say "I'll remember that" to Greg Gard prior to the altercation.
— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) February 20, 2022
(Video courtesy of WKOW. Caution unedited, NSFW language.) pic.twitter.com/27N2q1OD8I
In the fray, Howard reached out and slapped Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft on the head. The two teams became more physical with players shoving one another as personnel on the floor tried to separate the Michigan and Wisconsin sides.
MORE: Howard consoles Tennessee's Kennedy Chandler
Howard explained after the altercation that he was unhappy with a late timeout Gard called with 15 seconds left as Wisconsin held a 76-61 lead. Howard then said that as he was talking with Gard, someone touched Howard.
"I think that was very uncalled for, for him to touch me as we were verbalizing and communicating with one another, so that's what ended up happening," Howard said.
Here's Juwan Howard's side to the story.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) February 20, 2022
Added later that he felt he needed to protect himself, because Greg Gard touched him unnecessarily in the handshake line after he had gotten upset.#Badgers pic.twitter.com/hFWrEtBv1v
The Big Ten announced on Feb. 21 that it had suspended Howard for the remainder of the regular season, which meant he would miss games against Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State. Howard was also fined $40,000. Associate head coach Phil Martelli coached the team to wins against the Scarlet Knights, Spartans and Buckeyes, with losses coming to the Fighting Illini and Hawkeyes.
Michigan's Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabate and Wisconsin's Jahcobi Neath were each suspended a game after the incident. Gard was fined $10,000.
Reactions to the suspension
The day Howard was suspended, Michigan released statements from athletic director Warde Manuel and Howard.
Howard said he realized his actions and words were unacceptable and apologized for the incident.
"I am offering my sincerest apology to my players and their families, my staff, my family and the Michigan fans around the world. I would like to personally apologize to Wisconsin's Assistant Coach Joe Krabbenhoft and his family, too," Howard said in the statement. "Lastly, I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride, I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student-athletes. I will learn from my mistake and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!"
BENDER: Michigan punches ticket to Sweet 16, leaving Juwan Howard's suspension in the rearview mirror
Manuel said: "Today's disciplinary actions underscore the seriousness with which we take the incident that unfolded on Sunday. Simply put, there is no room at U-M for the behavior we saw. We will learn from this incident as a department, work to improve ourselves while operating under a spotlight, and move forward in a positive light."
Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh also issued a statement in response to the incident, saying that neither Gard nor anyone on the staff meant to "provoke or incite any of what took place" and he praised those who tried to de-escalate the altercation.
"Our staff has my complete support, as do our student-athletes. I consider the $10,000 fine from the Big Ten to be a 'Wisconsin fine' and not a 'Greg Gard fine.' Wisconsin Athletics will assume the responsibility for paying the fine," McIntosh said in the statement.