OT: Juwan Howard throws "punch"; Suspended for remainder of season

[Wolfgang630]

Good suspension. Next time he should be fired

[Frank Dux]

Something I often don’t understand in situations like these that involve sports, is why people never face charges for physically attacking someone.

should be a battery charge IMO.

[hoosierdaddy34]

If you want to parse words then fine. I think a coach should be held to a higher standard if they attempt to physically hit another coach with an attack.

I think there is a massive difference in intent. A punch can kill someone. Swiping/slapping at someone has the intent of sending them a message that you are not in the mood. Intent does matter here when dishing out punishment. And I agree he should be punished but there was no intent to injure the other party. I think a 5 game suspension seems about right.

I've argued about this more than I really care to, but I think this is a bad argument to try to make what Howard did seem less shameful.

play word games about what he did all you want, he still hit an opposing coach - a coach who never even touched him - in the face out of anger. He came back and did this even after he had walked away from the initial confrontation and things seemed about to calm down, and by doing so he started a brawl and put his players in danger. And he didn't even have the self awareness or good judgment to apologize or take any accountability for his actions afterwards.

to me thats crossing a line you can't cross as a head coach and showing a terrible lack of leadership by putting your players in harm's way. I think this suspension is pretty weak - it should've included the postseason - but it's about what I expected.

If intent matters in a court of law it has to matter here, when doling out punishment. The punishment has to fit the crime. 5 games, at the end of the year to a team trying to fight and make the tournament, seems like a very reasonable punishment given all the factors. I don’t have any more time to listen to hysterical people who are overreacting.

[kenwood3333]

who is the other guy?

[SNPA]

Man I’m really surprised he wasn’t canned considering this isn’t an isolated incident. Hopefully he goes to anger management classes or something. If there’s another incident on the sidelines and he injures someone Michigan is going to have a hell of a law suit.

This is why I’d fire him. It’s a lot of risk but there where teams of lawyers involved here. Curious if they didn’t think it could be done with cause and if the financial ramifications became a deciding factor.

[Duke4life831]

Man I’m really surprised he wasn’t canned considering this isn’t an isolated incident. Hopefully he goes to anger management classes or something. If there’s another incident on the sidelines and he injures someone Michigan is going to have a hell of a law suit.

Pretty simple, big time history with the college and made the Elite Eight last year. They combination has made him pretty bullet proof for awhile. He's going to need a few more seasons like this one until his job is at risk.

[Cavsfansince84]

If intent matters in a court of law it has to matter here, when doling out punishment. The punishment has to fit the crime. 5 games, at the end of the year to a team trying to fight and make the tournament, seems like a very reasonable punishment given all the factors. I don’t have any more time to listen to hysterical people who are overreacting.

Saying he should be fired isn't overreaction, its simply people having a different opinion of what his punishment should be. When Woody Hayes threw a punch at a player who came running towards him on the sideline after intercepting a pass with a helmet on he was fired the next day because it had to be done. That was a coach who'd been there for 28 years and won 3 national titles. Howard getting a 5 game suspension seems pretty light imo. I think he should be suspended at least for the remainder of the season and the Wisconsin coach could maybe use a suspension as well. Firing him seems perfectly within reason also. I don't think that Michigan has much of any chance of making the tourney either unless they win the B1G tourney.

[MrGoat]

Seems about right. Howard better know he's on thin ice at this point.

But it's not like this was a Woody Hayes level incident

Watch on YouTube

[Cavsfansince84]

Seems about right. Howard better know he's on thin ice at this point.

But it's not like this was a Woody Hayes level incident

Watch on YouTube

Difference being that what Woody did was in the heat of the moment while what Howard did was like 10m after and he still felt the need to get violent. Which doesn't excuse either action but they aren't the same on different levels.

[mowcrowbar]

He was always a headcase. And just look at his face he looks perpetually mad all the time.

[art_tatum]

Ridiculous what a bad example to set for those teens, you see them swinging away after him.

Should’ve been fired.
All bc the coach called a timeout and you were being blown out. Lol

[DoctorX]

He was always a headcase. And just look at his face he looks perpetually mad all the time.

Agreed. Still remember in '01 when he broke Derek Anderson's shoulder on a dirty flagrant in the playoffs. He also went after Lance Stephenson back in '13 during a pregame moment. He has a temper and has never managed how to control it and at his current age he never will.

[JimmyPlopper]

He was always a headcase. And just look at his face he looks perpetually mad all the time.

Agreed. Still remember in '01 when he broke Derek Anderson's shoulder on a dirty flagrant in the playoffs. He also went after Lance Stephenson back in '13 during a pregame moment. He has a temper and has never managed how to control it and at his current age he never will.

well its a good thing the Heat kept him on their active roster while he was in his 40s and ineffective as a player - you know - for what he brings in the locker room

[azcatz11]

Man I’m really surprised he wasn’t canned considering this isn’t an isolated incident. Hopefully he goes to anger management classes or something. If there’s another incident on the sidelines and he injures someone Michigan is going to have a hell of a law suit.

Pretty simple, big time history with the college and made the Elite Eight last year. They combination has made him pretty bullet proof for awhile. He's going to need a few more seasons like this one until his job is at risk.

Yeah true. The boosters must be fine with him also or else he’d be toast. We all know that’s what runs the show anyways.

I was actually thinking Sean Miller would do well at UM

[bbalnation]

Seems about right. Howard better know he's on thin ice at this point.

But it's not like this was a Woody Hayes level incident

Watch on YouTube

Difference being that what Woody did was in the heat of the moment while what Howard did was like 10m after and he still felt the need to get violent. Which doesn't excuse either action but they aren't the same on different levels.

This was also an adult male punching a student who is under the age of 25.

Its not the same at all.

[MrGoat]

Seems about right. Howard better know he's on thin ice at this point.

But it's not like this was a Woody Hayes level incident

Watch on YouTube

Difference being that what Woody did was in the heat of the moment while what Howard did was like 10m after and he still felt the need to get violent. Which doesn't excuse either action but they aren't the same on different levels.

This was also an adult male punching a student who is under the age of 25.

Its not the same at all.

I posted it as an example of what a fireable offense would look like. Hayes was an unprovoked punch on the player who intercepted the ball, the Wisconsin assistant was up in Howard's face. What you don't see in that clip was Hayes actually wasn't tossed from the game and later picked up another 15 yard penalty for getting physical with a referee. It would be the last game Hayes ever coached after they reviewed some of the video after the game

[Cavsfansince84]

This was also an adult male punching a student who is under the age of 25.

Its not the same at all.

On one hand yes it was a student but on the other its a 230lb linebacker in full pads and a helmet vs a short overweight middle aged dude. Which is more likely to result in serious injury to the one that was attacked? Woody deserved to be fired. Howard deserves more than a 5 game suspension but its not like I am losing any sleep over how UM is disciplining its bb coach.

[Onlytimewilltel]

If intent matters in a court of law it has to matter here, when doling out punishment. The punishment has to fit the crime. 5 games, at the end of the year to a team trying to fight and make the tournament, seems like a very reasonable punishment given all the factors. I don’t have any more time to listen to hysterical people who are overreacting.

Saying he should be fired isn't overreaction, its simply people having a different opinion of what his punishment should be. When Woody Hayes threw a punch at a player who came running towards him on the sideline after intercepting a pass with a helmet on he was fired the next day because it had to be done. That was a coach who'd been there for 28 years and won 3 national titles. Howard getting a 5 game suspension seems pretty light imo. I think he should be suspended at least for the remainder of the season and the Wisconsin coach could maybe use a suspension as well. Firing him seems perfectly within reason also. I don't think that Michigan has much of any chance of making the tourney either unless they win the B1G tourney.

Yea agreed should have been the rest of the year minimum, including tournaments. And probably should have been fired. Don’t play that stupid game “it wasn’t a closed fist” he’s a freaking head coach of a major university, and hit another coach in the head intentionally without the other coach ever touching him. Most of us would have been canned on the spot. Greg needs suspended also for confronting Howard and putting hands on him first. Both guys are idiots and deserve harsher punishment. Started a freaking brawl.

[MrBigShot]

Something I often don’t understand in situations like these that involve sports, is why people never face charges for physically attacking someone.

Me neither. A little scrum and back and forth is one thing, but you can straight up sucker punch someone straight in the face and noone even thinks about it in terms of assault, it's weird.

The other coach isn't in the right here either, you never put your hands on a grown man unless you've got a really damn good reason too, but Juwan Howard showed the maturity of a middle schooler here and embarrassed himself. A little trash talk and mean mugging and you go into "I'm gonna knock you out" mode when you are a head coach? Embarrassing.

[DoctorX]

He was always a headcase. And just look at his face he looks perpetually mad all the time.

Agreed. Still remember in '01 when he broke Derek Anderson's shoulder on a dirty flagrant in the playoffs. He also went after Lance Stephenson back in '13 during a pregame moment. He has a temper and has never managed how to control it and at his current age he never will.

well its a good thing the Heat kept him on their active roster while he was in his 40s and ineffective as a player - you know - for what he brings in the locker room

He was their Haslem before Haslem in that sense of being an old goon.