The melee with the Badgers occurred following a street loss on Feb. 20, 2022.
Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard known as a timeout with 15 seconds left in regulation and his crew up by 15 factors, apparently resulting in Howard’s frustration.
The previous longtime NBA huge man acquired concerned in a heated change with Gard within the postgame handshake line. As assistant coaches and gamers tried to separate the 2, Howard swiped at Badgers assistant Joe Krabbenhoft.
Howard was banned for the remainder of the common season and fined $40,000, whereas Michigan forwards Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabate have been suspended for one sport. Gard was handed a $10,000 tremendous, and Wisconsin guard Jahcobi Neath was suspended one sport.
Howard defended his actions following the brawl however struck a noticeably completely different tone in his chat with Quinn.
“I’ll all the time remorse how
that scenario occurred, and I’ll all the time take full blame for it as a result of [I] can routinely say, ‘Oh, that wasn’t me,'” the previous “Fab 5” member stated. “However, sure, it was. I
might’ve managed that and dealt with that scenario higher. That’s what I’ll
all the time bang my head about. I had the chance to apologize publicly, however I
additionally did so privately to the coaches at Wisconsin. We talked. And we moved on and
acquired previous the scenario. However I can’t sit right here and ask individuals to overlook that that
ever occurred. I take full possession of it.”
Howard admitted that he “ought to’ve shook [Gard’s] hand and saved going.”
So far as why he determined to punch Krabbenhoft, he stated that he “felt threatened.”
“Somebody’s approaching you,
they’re saying some phrases at you, I felt a risk. However look, that’s all it was — simply phrases,” Howard stated. “He didn’t put his palms on
me, I shouldn’t have put my palms on him.”
Whereas he has no “instant plans” to return to the sideline, based on Quinn’s report, the 2020-21 AP Coach of the Yr stated he hopes to make it again ultimately, most certainly within the NBA.
“This isn’t the tip, and it’ll not
be the end-all, be-all of my teaching profession,” Howard stated.