Warde Manuel releases statement on Juwan Howard investigation, reinstatement

On Saturday, Juwan Howard will return as Michigan’s head coach for the first time this season. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel released a statement on the decision on Friday.

“Juwan Howard will return to the Michigan bench Saturday (Dec. 16) against Eastern Michigan in his total capacity as head coach,” Manuel wrote. “Coach Howard, his doctors and our medical experts remain aligned in taking this next step as he recovers from a September heart procedure.”

Howard underwent a heart procedure in September, when doctors successfully resected an aortic aneurysm and repaired Howard’s aortic valve. Assistant coach Phil Martelli served as the program’s interim head coach during Howard’s absence.

“We greatly appreciate associate head coach Phil Martelli’s guidance of our program on an interim basis to start the season. I want to personally thank Phil for what he has done in the past few months to lead the program. We will continue to benefit from his wisdom moving forward.

“The return of our usual coaching structure comes after a review of an incident involving several individuals during a team practice last week. Based on a thorough internal review, nothing was found to warrant disciplinary action for anyone involved. As such, we will move forward with a focus on our team and our season.”

Warde Manuel addresses altercation between Juwan Howard & Jon Sanderson

Last week, Howard got into a physical altercation with strength coach Jon Sanderson. While no punches were thrown, the pair reportedly had to be separated. According to college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, Howard and Sanderson “were toe to toe, chest to chest, right up in each other and had to be restrained.”

According to The Athletic, Howard has been on a zero-tolerance policy since his altercation with Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft in 2022, when he hit Krabbenhoft in the face in the postgame handshake line, causing a brawl between the team’s coaches and players.

The Athletic also noted Sanderson reported the incident to HR. Despite the claim, Howard traveled with the team and was on the bench in Michigan’s win over Iowa on Sunday. Sanderson was not in attendance. Evidently, no further action will be taken against Howard.

Michigan is 5-5 overall (1-1 in the Big Ten) this season following a 3-0 start. The Wolverines will square off against Eastern Michigan at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.