It was an ugly scene in Wisconsin on February 20 following the matchup on the hardwood between the Michigan Wolverines and the Wisconsin Badgers that saw Michigan fall to a disappointing 14-11 mark on the season. A melee broke out after head coach Juwan Howard erupted in fury and threw an attempted punch that connected with a Wisconsin assistant coach’s head.
Several players got in on the action, including Michigan’s Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams before the two sides were ultimately separated. Howard would then double down on his actions in the post-game press conference, saying that he needed to protect himself while refusing to apologize. Howard was then subsequently suspended for the rest of Michigan’s regular-season schedule and fined $40,000, while assistant coach Phil Martelli would take over in his stead.
Howard, who was recently reinstated by Michigan, issued an apology earlier today in his first public comments since the events took place.
“I could come with a thousand excuses, but I’m not,” Howard said. “I take full ownership for my actions. I could talk about the timeout, we could discuss the pull on the arm, we can talk about the words exchanged with coaches. But all that would be excuses. The main thing is, that was not the right way how I should carry myself as the head coach at a fine institution like the University of Michigan.
“I was truly upset with myself during that two weeks,” he continued. “I did some soul-searching of how I can improve. When I talk about my team being one percent better, that applies to me too. I enjoy being here, and I enjoy being a leader of this program. I also enjoy being a good leader for our players and staff. I had a setback, and at that moment I was not. I take full responsibility, and I’m sorry.”
Howard then said that he’s attended therapy in an effort to make improvements in his life, while also taking responsibility for those that he hurt with his actions.
“I hurt a lot of people. I hurt my family, I hurt my players and their families, I hurt my staff, I hurt the Michigan family, the Michigan alumni base. There are a lot of people I hurt during that moment. And I’m still hurting.”
The Wolverines went 3-2 in Howard’s absence, including losses to Illinois and Iowa while taking down Rutgers and Michigan State capped by a decisive victory over the rival Ohio State Buckeyes in their regular-season finale.
– – Quotes via MLive Link – –
