Juwan Howard has resumed his position as head coach for Michigan, as confirmed by the university’s athletic director, Warde Manuel. In a statement released on Friday night, Manuel stated that Howard will not face any disciplinary measures regarding an incident he was reportedly involved in earlier that month. Consequently, Howard has returned to his full coaching responsibilities with the team.
Manuel, as reported by MassLive.com, stated, “The return of our usual coaching structure comes after a review of an incident involving several individuals during a team practice last week. Based on a thorough internal review, nothing was found to warrant disciplinary action for anyone involved. As such, we will move forward with a focus on our team and our season.”
Exclusive: Caught up with Jace Howard who called the situation between Juwan Howard & Jon Sanderson a 'misunderstanding'.
Also on his "misdiagnosed" injury, why he went to Los Angeles recently for a 2nd opinion & optimism after coming back with good news.https://t.co/gWWfYAkNML
— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) December 16, 2023
Howard had been absent from coaching for Michigan throughout the season due to a heart procedure in September. Associate head coach Phil Martelli led the team in the initial ten games. However, Howard officially resumed his coaching duties during the recent game against Eastern Michigan, which resulted in an 83-66 victory for the Wolverines.
Michigan initiated an investigation into the alleged incident involving Howard and the team’s longtime strength coach, Jon Sanderson. It was reported that a confrontation occurred between the two on December 7, purportedly related to Howard’s son, Jace, a junior guard on the team who has been sidelined this season due to a knee injury.
Jace Howard told the Detroit Free Press this weekend that the incident was just a “misunderstanding.”
The reported confrontation raised additional concerns due to Juwan Howard’s prior handshake line incident in 2022, which had led to the university implementing a zero-tolerance policy regarding such behavior. However, following Michigan’s internal investigation, Howard has been cleared of any wrongdoing, allowing him to officially begin his fifth season at the helm of the team.
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