Michigan athletic director releases statement on Juwan Howard incident

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel has issued a statement on the postgame fight between the Michigan Wolverines and Wisconsin Badgers, which was sparked by an altercation between head coaches and including a punch thrown by Juwan Howard at an assistant.

The Sunday incident has made national headlines and drawn widespread criticism from the media.

In a statement posted on the University of Michigan Athletics page, Warde Manuel addressed Juwan Howard’s actions and revealed that the school already reached out to Wisconsin representatives to apologize for the incident.

“I am aware of and watched the end of our men’s basketball game,” Manuel said in a statement. “There is no excuse for any of our staff or student-athletes to get into a physical altercation with others regardless or instigating factors. I reached out and apologized to Chris McIntosh and President Coleman has reached out to UW chancellor Blank to apologize for the totally unacceptable behavior. We will review the situation more thoroughly and work with the Big Ten Conference as they determine their disciplinary actions and will determine if any further disciplinary actions are needed.”

Juwan Howard did not join the typical postgame coaches handshake right away. The announcers noted at the time that it was odd Howard refrained from approaching Greg Gard as the game clock expired. Howard seemed to be the one upset, getting in Gard’s face, pointing and eventually having it escalate to the point of physicality on Howard’s part.

The anger seemed to begin due to a late timeout from Gard when the game was already decided. The timeout came with 15 seconds remaining while Gard kept the intensity up with a full court press while winning by double digits.

Big Ten issues statement

The Big Ten Conference also issued a statement on the incident Sunday afternoon, calling out the actions on the sideline. They have not yet announced any suspensions or fallout from the fight but will review the footage and decide at a later point.

“The Big Ten Conference is aware of a physical altercation involving Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard at the conclusion of the Michigan Wolverines and Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball game,” the statement reads. “The conference is in contact with both member institutions and is currently assessing the incident. The conference will provide more information and will take swift and appropriate disciplinary action when it completes its review.”