AD Manuel doesn't seem inclined to fire Coach Howard
“We will review the situation more thoroughly and work with the Big Ten Conference as they determine their disciplinary actions and will determine if further disciplinary actions are warranted,” Manuel concluded.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:14 PM ^
Mmmmmmmm wandering dessert *Homer Simpson salivating sounds*
February 20th, 2022 at 10:08 PM ^
You're fighting the last war. Who cares what dumb stuff different administrators did 20 years ago? What's right is right. I am not saying Warde should decide today. I am not saying what the result should be. But just because the Big Ten will do something doesn't mean Michigan shouldn't institute the penalty that it believes is appropriate. To do otherwise allows others to control the situation and the narrative.
February 21st, 2022 at 5:06 AM ^
Which dessert were they wondering in? Some reflection in a bowl of ice cream is certainly different than pondering over a plate of cheesecake.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:25 PM ^
He should only discipline Howard when Wisconsin disciplines its coach, and let the B1G know that.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:48 PM ^
True, to an extent. Juwan should have the harshest penalty, but the wisc coaches are also at fault.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:52 PM ^
Think we could just do offsetting penalties and replay the down?
February 20th, 2022 at 6:26 PM ^
I assume he hasn't heard from the lawyers yet and if you are considering firing him there are potentially millions of dollars at stake.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:54 PM ^
I am sure they have to tread softly in how things are done. But there's no two ways about it: Juwan Howard has to be let go from Michigan athletics. This is beyond the pale.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:18 PM ^
You should settle down.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:29 PM ^
If Juwan doesn’t issue some sort of public apology for his actions today and get some sort of anger management counseling, he won’t be coaching Michigan much longer imo. If this was 100 other Universities, it would be brushed to the side but it’s not and it won’t. The University hates to have egg on their face and like to take the high road and there is no way this goes without Juwan making nice publicly.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:43 PM ^
I would agree with your take. JH needs to address this with himself, and if he doesn't, the University will have little recourse. I wasn't encouraged by his post-game press conference however.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:29 PM ^
While I agree he should (and likely would), I imagine coach has been told to not issue any statement, public or otherwise, until a very quick eval is done by the AD…
February 20th, 2022 at 6:29 PM ^
Sounds like the right answer gj Manuel
February 20th, 2022 at 6:29 PM ^
I am sure they'll conclude it was just a "love tap" among friends.
This might not be a popular take but one can only wonder if it will light a fire under the players to band together and play like they have never played before for their embattled coach.
As they say in politics, don't let a crisis go to waste.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:32 PM ^
Considering we will be missing a few players most likely against five of the best teams in the conference, im not sure how well this will go.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:46 PM ^
This would be a legit travesty. If Williams gets suspended in particular that would be a gross miscarriage of justice.
Like the way I see things:
The unwritten rules bullshit from both Gard and Howard is stupid. It's like throwing at a guy because he dared to bunt in a perfect game or whatever. Just play. I think pressing down 15 with 20 seconds left is silly so is calling a timeout and so is getting mad about the timeout.
Gard should not have grabbed Juwan the way he did and Juwan can't respond by grabbing Gard and doing the whole finger wag in the face move. Both immature, stupid responses. Then the incident settles down and Krabbenhoft must have said SOMETHING. We'll probably never know what, but I'd like both of them to be asked publicly.
Juwan going after Krabbenhoft is completely inexcusable unless it was a slur.
After that things are settling down again when 1) a Wisconsin coach or staffer tries to force his way through the line to get at Juwan 2) Williams grabs him to stop him and the coach falls to the floor and 3) Jahcobi Neath punches Williams. Only then do Williams and Diabate swing (at Neath). I think Diabate's punch lands and maybe you can give him a game like you would in hockey. Williams should get nothing, he was trying to keep the peace.
Howard: suspended for the season because he's supposed to be a teacher and leader and so you can't accept that decision from him.
Gard: nothing, but should get roundly mocked for his nonsense
Krabbenhoft: depends what he said. If it was racial, his ass needs to be fired. If it was some boring trash talk Juwan overreacted to, whatever. Somewhere in between, suspend him.
Wisconsin staffer who tried to get through the line: suspended for the year
Neath: suspended for the regular season
Diabate: one game max
Williams: nothing
February 20th, 2022 at 6:49 PM ^
100% agree with this statement of what I think just punishments would be except Gard needs to be suspended a few games as well for putting his hands on another coach like that.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:54 PM ^
My thing is, imagine literally nothing happens after the Gard grab and Juwan grabbing and finger waving him. There's no punishments, right? It's a one day minor media story that would be promoted as a storyline if the teams meet in the BTT.
It's only the swing (swipe? still not sure what the right verb is) that makes this more.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:01 PM ^
I mean yes but nothing more happens if Gard just does the sensible thing and let a already annoyed individual pass instead of forcefully grabbing them.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:14 PM ^
Like almost any unfortunate incident it's a string of bad decisions that lead up to the actual incident. Michigan pressing at the end of the game, Wisky calling time-out, Gard physically stopping Howard and Howard staying there, the Wisky assistant rolling in and saying god knows what and then boom, the physical contact.
Nothing done, from what we saw, excuses Howard's action at the end. He is going to have to own that.
That being said, Gard feeling he can put his hands on Howard is just flat out wrong. That also needs to be called out by the Big Ten and will hopefully result in some sort of punishment as well.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:20 PM ^
You’ve provided very fair recap of what transpired IMO and your suggested punishments seem rational. I will say, that even though Williams is TRYING to keep the peace, throwing a punch/shoving Neath will get him a 1 game suspension and I think that would be warranted.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:24 PM ^
I think it'd be unjust but I wouldn't be surprised. If Neath gets nothing but Williams gets a game I'm furious.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:28 PM ^
That would be complete horseshit. Neath deserves a few games at minimum, as does Krabbenhoft for escalating and laying hands on TWill.
February 21st, 2022 at 12:51 AM ^
After rewatching both views of the altercation, it's very clear that TWill threw a Wisconsin assistant coach to the ground at least once. Unfortunately, I think TWill deserves a pretty harsh suspension for that action, alongside his retaliatory punches thrown at Neath. I now vehemently disagree with your characterizations of Williams trying to keep the peace. I think, at first he was trying to keep Howard separated from Krabbenhoft, but once Howard's swing took place TWill threw down the Wisconsin assistant on his own accord. Williams should be suspended for 2-3 games at minimum for all of that.
February 20th, 2022 at 9:03 PM ^
Agree with most of what you said, enlightened - especially the "unwritten rules" b.s. Childish crap.
I don't agree with some of your punishments, however. IMO Howard deserves the worst - he threw the first blow, and it's likely none of the other crap happens without Howard's escalation. He's also head coach, and should know and be better. Rest of season suspension is warranted IMO - at least regular season.
Seems to me your proposal is a bit harsh on Wisconsin's guys. Yeah, they're jerks.
The aggressive, pushy Wisconsin staffer doesn't deserve as harsh a punishment as Juwan, c'mon.
I agree Neath hit Williams from behind (seemed kind of basketball-fight glancing blow to me), but it was a melee and I'm not sure we see every punch thrown. Neath struck, Williams retaliated - one game for Williams, maybe a couple for Neath. Williams really did try to keep the peace, but unfortunately he threw a punch. Hope I'm wrong here.
Diabate threw a couple of very aggressive punches that are clear and obvious on the camera - I didn't see anyone hit him, though again it's really hard to tell. I'd probably give him a couple of games. Basketball isn't hockey. From what I saw, Diabate threw the most aggressive punches.
Krabbenhoft was yelling like everyone else, then got hit. It's easy to claim he said something terrible, but seems unfair to assume something like that - can't imagine anyone was saying kind words. Would have to be very bad and very clear to fire him. Otherwise, hard to do more than reprimand him.
Let me be clear - this is all speculation based on what I saw from a limited camera view. Entirely possible more investigation will be more accurate. For example, the first, blurry view I saw wasn't clear whether Howard's blow was a punch or slap/grab - better view shows clearly it's the latter.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:33 PM ^
Uhh, they don't need a fire lit under them. They need more skill and better coaching. This is simply not a tournament quality basketball team.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:35 PM ^
Are you blind? These dudes are missing wide open jump shots. No coaching can fix that.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:04 PM ^
Can you read? I said more skill and better coaching. Here's the coaching part - if Coach Howard were more judicious in getting his players rest, maybe some of those long jump shots would fall. He plays his starters too many minutes and for far longer stretches than than is effective. This was apparent in Coach Howard's first season when Zavier Simpson played 35+ minutes in numerous games. Those are NBA minutes in a college game that has 8 less minutes.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:57 PM ^
Let’s not act like this was a good shooting team whose numbers have dropped. They’ve been a bad shooting team who is inconsistent all year. Their legs have nothing to do with it. Houstan started the year ice cold, got hot, and is ice cold again. Jones was not supposed to be good from 3 and he has been even worse. Eli is Eli. Johns and Williams have been bad from deep all year, save a couple of old shooting nights.
February 20th, 2022 at 11:26 PM ^
Yes. 1-10 from 3 happened in the first half.
February 21st, 2022 at 9:43 AM ^
Last year Jones shot 38.6% from the arc. This year he is shooting 38%.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:31 PM ^
Howard should not be fired. He didn’t punch anyone. He made an aggressIve attempt to grab the Wisconsin assistant, resulting in glancing contact. The slow motion video makes that clear.
He should be suspended and required to undergo anger management counseling. The end.
And all the rich white alum from Gross Pointe can stop lecturing a guy who was raised by his grandmother on the South side of Chicago about how this is all just so terrible.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:36 PM ^
Name another college or pro coach who’s attempted physical altercations with other coaches not once but twice in a 12 month period and still has a job?
February 20th, 2022 at 6:40 PM ^
The Maryland thing last season I thought it was him being heated to get his players / coaches fired up. I think it's safe to say now that he gets a little too heated and takes things a little too personal.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:37 PM ^
I like Juwan, but come on, don't be a homer. He could get fired for this and it would be contractually justified. Striking someone while in the line of work can be a fireable offense. The fact that he grew up on the South Side of Chicago doesn't change that.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:39 PM ^
Yes, it would be contractually justified, and no, his upbringing doesn’t excuse it. I’m just tired of people from an entirely different world judging someone who literally grew up in the projects without his parents. You think that might have something to do with his obvious anger issues?
Thats not excusing the behavior. It can’t be tolerated. But it should at least be understood in context.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:42 PM ^
If he has obvious anger issues, then he probably shouldn't be our coach, I'm afraid.
The argument for him to remain employed is that he doesn't have anger issues and this type of event will not repeat itself. If he is emotionally scarred from his childhood, even while pushing 50, and this periodically manifests itself in fireable behavior, that's not a reason for us to keep him employed.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:47 PM ^
Harbaugh also had anger issues. Maybe he can refer Juwan to his psychiatrist.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:49 PM ^
Harbaugh argued with referees, but we've never seen him hit one.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:30 PM ^
Yet….???
February 20th, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
eh. we were friends when younger. he had a hot button, like most folks do at some point.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:50 PM ^
So do the half the coaches on the planet. Juwan’s are just worse, and he needs to get them fixed.
February 20th, 2022 at 7:02 PM ^
Are you arguing for him to keep his job or not?
February 20th, 2022 at 9:18 PM ^
He should be let go. I like him. But he needs to deal with issues. He has plenty of money to be away from coaching for some time to sort things out. Firing is a harsh thing. But maybe it will be the smelling salts that opens his eyes.
Honestly, I wish there's be a press conference where he resigns. It would be the high road, and would go a long way to mending the damage done to his image today.
I'd rather see that than a firing. I like him. I don't want to see that happen to him.
February 20th, 2022 at 10:27 PM ^
Generally speaking, I like your comments, but you sure are adamant Howard need to go.
February 20th, 2022 at 8:39 PM ^
You’re excusing the actions of a nearly 50 year old man who has been a multi-millionaire for over 30 years because he grew up in Chicago.
February 20th, 2022 at 11:41 PM ^
There's plenty of people who grew up on the South Side who don't escalate when faced with a volatile situation.
Juwan was talking while walking away from Gard and then acted shocked when Gard grabbed him. If he wanted to say something, he should've shook his hand, looked him in the eye, and said his piece. That would be the South Side thing to do.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:33 PM ^
I don't want him fired myself, but I see no evidence one way or another in Warde's comment. He's being as even about it all, for now, as he can be.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:35 PM ^
If Warde fires Howard but keeps the Bo statue up, that's bullshit.
February 20th, 2022 at 6:53 PM ^
Leaders and Best.