Michigan coach Juwan Howard received a five-game suspension for his role in a postgame scuffle after the Wolverines’ loss at Wisconsin on Sunday which will keep him off the sidelines for the remainder of the regular season.
He is the only coach involved in Sunday’s melee facing a suspension, though three players — Michigan’s Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams II and Wisconsin’s Jahcobi Neath — each received one-game suspensions. Howard was also fined $40,000 from the league and Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was fined $10,000.
The punishments come after a melee that began when Howard struck Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft following a tense exchange with Gard in the handshake line after the game. Gard’s decision to call timeout with 15 seconds left and the Badgers holding a 15-point lead is what sparked Howard’s ire. With the Wolverines maintaining full-court pressure after Wisconsin went to a lineup of walk-ons and reserves, Gard later explained that he called the timeout to help his team avoid a 10-second violation. But it did not sit well with Howard.
Following Monday’s punishment, Howard issued an apology.
He said, “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.”
Michigan does have a natural fill-in on staff in associate head coach Phil Martelli. The former longtime St. Joseph’s head coach is in his third season on Howard’s staff after a storied 24-year run in the Atlantic-10.
