Not Fired! University Of Michigan’s Basketball Coach, Juwan Howard, Suspended Five Games
Yesterday I published a piece titled “Should University of Michigan coach, Juwan Howard, be fired?”. Yesterday the University of Michigan answered that question with a big NO!
The Detroit News reported that the “Big Ten, in collaboration with Michigan and Wisconsin, announced Monday that Juwan Howard has been suspended for the final five regular-season games and fined $40,000 for his role Sunday’s postgame altercation when he struck Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft in the head”.
Howard received that suspension for the following:
A coach who physically attacks a person on a Big Ten basketball court only gets a 5 game suspension. That certainly is not giving a great example to the young men on those teams. Many sports analysts were predicting he might not be fired but if not he would or should be suspended for the rest of the season, including any post-season games.
In a statement Juwan Howard said:
After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many. I am truly sorry...I am offering my sincerest apology to my players and their families, my staff, my family and the Michigan fans around the world. I would like to personally apologize to Wisconsin's assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft and his family, too.
He went on to say:
Lastly, I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride, I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student-athletes. I will learn from my mistake and this mistake will never happen again.
Very nicely written words, the question with any apology is, do they truly mean it, he may. We will have to see how he acts for the rest of his career. We all screw up in life and those of us who are passionate people know what Howard is going through. Everyone in life, short of certain crimes, deserves a second or even perhaps a third shot in life.
The Wolverines are currently14-11 for the season and only 8-7 in the Big Ten. I assume much of his passion or perhaps anger comes from his record.
Howard’s assistant coach Phil Martelli will step up and serve as acting head coach and director of basketball operations.
Do you believe in his apology?
Is a 5 game suspension sufficient for the actions he took?
Should he have been suspended for the remainder of the season?
Wisconsin's head coach Greg Gard was fined $10,000 but was not suspended, why he was fined I have no idea. He was not the aggressor.
Remember when Ohio State Football coach Woody Hayes punched a Clemson player on the field back in the December 29, 1978 Gator Bowl, that ended his career: