Juwan Howard will sit out the remainder of Michigan men's basketball regular season.
The Big Ten Conference on Monday suspended the Wolverines coach for five games for his role in a postgame brawl at Wisconsin day earlier. The suspension will run through Michigan's March 6 game at Ohio State.
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The conference also fined Howard $40,000 for his actions. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was fined $10,000. Three players were suspended, each for one game: Michigan's Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabate and Wisconsin's Jahcobi Neath. All the penalties went into effect immediately.
Why did the Big Ten suspend Juwan Howard?
Howard was suspended for "a clear violation of the Big Ten Conference's Sportsmanship Policy," the conference said in its announcement. Gard and the players were found to have violated the policy as well.
Howard refused to shake Gard's hand and said something to his counterpart in the postgame lineup after the Badgers' 77-63 victory over the Wolverines on Sunday in Madison. He was angry that Gard called a timeout in the final seconds of the game when the Badgers had a big lead. Gard put his hand on Howard's elbow as he tried to respond. Howard then grabbed Gard's pullover. The two men exchanged more words.
Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft was one of several Badgers coaches who moved in to separate Howard and Gard. Howard eventually reached over the top and slapped Krabbenhoft in the head. That move sparked a brawl in front of the scorer's table.
A fight broke out between Michigan and Wisconsin during the postgame handshake line. pic.twitter.com/AiWIwyzj8w
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 20, 2022
The Big Ten said commissioner Kevin Warren and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel "reached alignment" on Howard's suspension after Manuel "proactively" addressed it with Warren.
"I am grateful for the partnership with Michigan Athletics Director, Warde Manuel and Wisconsin Athletics Director, Chris McIntosh. Our expectation is that the incident yesterday will provide our coaches and student-athletes with the opportunity to reflect, learn and move forward in a manner that demonstrates decorum and leadership on and off of the court," Warren said in the announcement.
"Simply put, there is no room at U-M for the behavior we saw," Manuel said in a statement released by Michigan. "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."
"Needless to say, there is no place in college athletics for what happened at the end of Sunday's game," McIntosh said in a statement. "Neither Coach Gard nor his staff had any intention to provoke or incite any of what took place." McIntosh said that the athletic department would pay Gard's fine.
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How did Juwan Howard respond to the suspension?
Howard issued an apology to multiple parties and said "this mistake will never happen again." Notably, he did not apologize to Gard.
After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many. I am truly sorry.
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.
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!
What games will Juwan Howard miss?
Howard will sit out games Wednesday vs. Rutgers; Sunday vs. Illinois; March 1 vs. Michigan State; March 3 vs. Iowa; and March 6 at Ohio State. He is eligible to return for the Big Ten Tournament, which is scheduled to begin March 9. Michigan said "all parties will meet to make a final decision" prior to reinstatement.
Associate head coach Phil Martelli will run the team in Howard's absence. Martelli was Saint Joseph's head coach for 24 seasons (1995-2019). He joined Howard's staff for the 2019-20 season after being fired by Saint Joseph's.
What is Michigan's NCAA Tournament status?
The Wolverines are, at best, on the tournament bubble. They fell to 14-11 (8-7 Big Ten) with their loss at Wisconsin on Sunday.