University of Michigan men's basketball coach Juwan Howard was caught on camera striking Greg Gard Wisconsin's head coach following a match at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday. Michigan lost to Wisconsin 77-63 during a game between the Big Ten conference rivals.
NBA star Howard, a former member of Michigan's famed Fab Five, reportedly got upset with Gard after he called timeout with 15 seconds left in the game and a 15-point lead.
Video Shows Gard Approaching Howard
The video of the scuffle has appeared on social media platforms. It shows Howard walking away when he is approached by Gard following the end of the game. 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 the head of Wisconsin's assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft.
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."
Howard's Action Draws Mixed Reactions on Social Media
The Daily Mail reported that the Big Ten Athletic conference has ordered an investigation and plans to 'take swift and appropriate disciplinary action when the review is completed.
The video drew a lot of ire from social media users, many of whom demanded that Howard be fired from his job.
"Juwan Howard should be fired. He throws a punch at a Wisconsin AC because he didn't like the time out called. What in the hell is wrong with him? Let that Penny ante b******* go! Irrational behavior. What else is new. Common sense is not so common anymore, that's a fact," tweeted a user.
Juwan Howard should be suspended. Not fired. This is not a "punch". He would be called "scrappy" and "passionate" if he were...uh...less "tan," wrote another.
"Big Ten coaches are held to a high standard, and understandably so. Juwan Howard's behavior was unbecoming of one, and it's why he needs to be fired," opined a user.
