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Why was Juwan Howard suspended? Michigan Wolverines coach learns his lesson as he greets Greg Gard post-game

In February 2022, Juwan Howard and Greg Gard got into argument in the handshake line after Howard refused to shake hands following the team's defeat

MADISON, WISCONSIN: The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten tournament with a victory of 64-59 on Tuesday, February 14, at Kohl Center. The game was the first matchup between the teams since the infamous Michigan Wolverines coach Juwan Howard and Wisconsin coach Greg Gard incident which led to Howard's suspension. And the internet was quick to react to it.

One Twitter user wrote, "Congrats to Greg Gard for the win and for not getting socked tonight in the handshake line." While one of many pointed out, "Juwan Howard and Greg Gard successfully shake hands." Another commented, "Good to see Juwan Howard and Greg Gard acting like adults tonight."

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Why was Juwan Howard suspended?

In February 2022, Howard and Gard got into an argument in the handshake line after Howard refused to shake hands following his team's defeat. Howard, then, ended up hitting Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft, which led to a fight between the two teams. Howard was suspended and fined $40,000 for throwing a punch, while Gard was fined $10,000 for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy, but was not suspended, reports The Guardian.

Howard said he was not okay that Gard called timeout with 15 seconds left in the game. He said, “I didn’t like the timeout being called, and I’ll be totally honest with you: I thought it was not necessary at that moment, especially being a large lead. And then to have a timeout be called with three seconds or four seconds to go, you know, I thought that was what I felt wasn’t fair to our guys," as per The Guardian.

Juwan Howard opens up about 2022 incident

Commenting on his return to Wisconsin after the incident, Howard said, "Overall, what happened last year was, as we talked about and I apologized for it. I wish I could have that situation back because I never would have reacted the way I did. And I hurt a lot of people — my family, my team, obviously Wisconsin, the coaching staff, the fans here and the Michigan fans. I don’t ever want this to always be remembered as that moment. Yes, it’s going to be brought up a lot. Do I regret it? Yes. Yes I do. Do I wish I could have it back? Yes, I do, because I would never have reacted the way I did. Even though that was me, that’s really not who I am as an individual," as per Yardbarker.

He then added, "My players know that, and so they know the love that I have for them and they understood when I had a conversation about the incident, I took ownership of it. I’m still growing. I’m also vulnerable to let them know that those moments right there, you can learn from it and make sure you don’t make those mistakes. That’s the connection that we have."

To which, a netizen tweeted, "Respect him for that quote. It is time to move-on." While another continued to say, "I would see him differently if he didn't act like such a baby when he coaches. Just not a fan of him or how he lets his players act."

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