The Michigan basketball team is playing without head coach Juwan Howard after being suspended for the final five games of the regular season due to the start of a fight with the Wisconsin assistant coach.
The Wolverines lost to Wisconsin on February 20 with a final score of 63–77. According to CBS, Howard had a tense exchange with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard at the handshake line after the game.
"The decision to call a timeout with the guard 15 seconds remaining and the Badgers holding a 15-point lead sparked Howard's anger," CBS Sports said.
“I didn’t like the timeout he called; I’ll be completely honest,” Howard said. “I thought it wasn’t necessary at the time, especially because of it being a huge lead. ... I felt it was not fair to our people."
CNN reported that the guard grabbed Howard with his left hand before moving down the handshake line, preventing him from continuing down the line for a while. This, paired with his already tense atmosphere, seemed to trigger Howard and the two began to get into an argument.
Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabenhoft stepped between the two, and Howard threw a punch at Krabenhoft.
This sparked outrage among players on both teams, as they got into a scuffle, which mostly involved pushing and shoving both the players and the staff.
This violated the Big Ten sportsmanship policy, leading to penalties for many of those involved.
"The coaches and student-athletes of the Big Ten Conference are expected to demonstrate the highest level of sportsmanship," Commissioner Kevin Warren said in his release. “I am grateful for partnering with Michigan Athletics Director Warde Manuel and Wisconsin Athletics Director Chris McIntosh. We hope tomorrow’s event will provide our coaches and student-athletes with an opportunity to reflect, learn and grow in a way that is Displays decency and leadership on and off the court."
The University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin teamed up with the Big Ten. They applied the following disciplinary actions: Howard, who started the fight, was suspended for five games for the remainder of the regular season and fined $40,000. The guard was fined $10,000 for his role in the initiation. Many students were also reprimanded. Wisconsin player Jahkoby Neath was suspended for a game he served during a match-up against Minnesota on February 23. From Michigan, Terrence Williams II and Moussa Diabet were both suspended for one game, leaving them out of the game against Rutgers. ,
Players were able to resume play last weekend. After the incident, Howard issued a statement apologizing for his actions.
“After taking the time to reflect on what happened, I realized how unacceptable both my actions and words were and how they affected so many people. I'm really sorry," Howard told CBS Sports. “I am offering my sincere apologies to our players and their families, our staff, my family, and Michigan fans around the world. I also want to personally apologize to Wisconsin Assistant Coach Joe Krabenhoft and his family.