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MADISON, Wis. — The University of Michigan is suspending head men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard for the rest of the regular season following Sunday’s altercation with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard and other Wisconsin assistant coaches.
In a statement Monday evening, the Big Ten said Sunday’s incident was a “clear violation” of the conference’s sportsmanship policy.
Howard will also face a $40,000 fine. Two Michigan players and one Badger — Terrance Williams II, Moussa Diabate and Jahcobi Neath — have each been suspended one game.
Badgers Head Coach Greg Gard, meanwhile, has been fined $10,000.
“Big Ten Conference coaches and student-athletes are expected to display the highest level of sportsmanship conduct,” Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. “I am grateful for the partnership with Michigan Athletics Director, Warde Manuel and Wisconsin Athletics Director, Chris McIntosh. 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.”
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel was the first to report the suspension. The Wolverines have five more games left on their schedule before the Big Ten tournament begins next month.
The altercation started during the post-game handshake line when Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard says he stopped Michigan head coach Juwan Howard to try to explain why he took a late timeout in the game even though the Badgers were winning by a large margin.
Gard put his hand on Howard’s elbow in an attempt to prevent him from walking past him without saying anything, to which Howard said he responded by telling Gard not to touch him.
The incident then escalated, with Howard yelling at Gard and Badgers staff while also grabbing hold of Gard’s shirt. As a scrum between both benches started in an attempt to pull everyone apart, some punches were thrown between players, and Howard was seen slapping Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft.
Earlier Monday, officials with the UW-Madison Police Department told News 3 Now that no criminal charges or citations would be filed over the incident, and that they would let the universities and the Big Ten handle any discipline.
This is not the first time in which Howard has found himself in a physical argument with another Big Ten coach. He was ejected during Michigan’s first game in last year’s Big Ten tournament after getting into an altercation with then-Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon.
Michigan’s athletic director issued a statement Sunday night, saying there was no excuse for the physical altercation with Gard and the Wisconsin staff, and apologizing to Wisconsin officials.
