University of Michigan men's basketball coach Juwan Howard has been suspended for the rest of the regular season by the Big Ten Conference. The suspension comes a day after he was caught assaulting the assistant coach of Wisconsin, Joe Krabbenhoft, at Kohl Center in Madison.
The incident took place following the Michigan's humiliating defeat to Wisconsin 77-63, on Sunday.
Howard Issued Suspension and $40,000 Fine
CNN reported that as a result of the physical altercation, the Big Ten Conference suspended Howard for five games and also issued a $40,000 fine.
In a statement the Big Ten said that Howards' actions were a clear violation. "It has been determined that there was a clear violation of the Big Ten Conference's Sportsmanship Policy by Michigan Men's Basketball Head Coach Juwan Howard. Additionally, the University of Wisconsin Men's Basketball Head Coach Greg Gard was in violation of the conference's sportsmanship policy," the statement read.
Stating that conference coaches and student-athletes are "expected to display the highest level of sportsmanship conduct," Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said: "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."
Meanwhile Michigan forwards Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabate were also awarded one game suspension. Gard was also issued a $10,000 fine. The Big Ten also suspended Wisconsin guard Jahcobi Neath for one game, effective immediately.
Act Was Caught on Camera
The video of the scuffle shows Howard walking away when he is approached by Wisconsin's head coach Greg Gard.
Gard appears to place his hand on Howard's arm when suddenly a heated exchange starts taking place between the duo. Howard is seen talking heatedly as he repeatedly points his finger at Gard. Suddenly players and coaches from the both the teams come forward to separate the duo. It is during this commotion when Howard is seen striking Krabbenhoft's head.
Later during the postgame news conference, Howards admitted that he was furious at Gard for calling timeout. "I did not like the timeout being called, I'll be totally honest. I thought it was not necessary at the moment, especially being a large lead," he said.
Talking about the scuffle, Howard said, "I addressed with the head coach that I will remember that, because of the timeout. Someone touched me, and I think it was very uncalled for, for them to touch me, as we were verbalizing and communicating with one another. That's what escalated it."
