As if bowing out of the Big Ten Tournament in the opening round and finishing 8-24 on the season wasn’t bad enough for Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, he is now dealing with serious accusations of culture issues within his basketball program.
According to The Athletic this morning, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel brought on an outside organization to investigate the culture of the Michigan Wolverines basketball program under Howard.
The report featured an accusation from former Michigan strength coach Jon Sanderson, who in an email to Manuel from his lawyer, accused Howard of leading a “culture of fear” and “concern for retaliation” that has kept staff from reporting serious issues that they see taking place.
“There is a culture of fear within the MBB program and concern for retaliation by Coach Howard that has prevented staff from coming forward earlier, but now it is time to address that abhorrent culture,” the email from Sanderson’s attorney to Manuel said.
Sanderson claimed that Howard threatened to “slap the (expletive)” out of Jett Howard during a 2022-23 practice.
“There are troubling issues within the program and it is clear that Head Coach Juwan Howard has created an intolerable environment for both staff and Student Athletes,” the email further said.
Howard was given a zero-tolerance policy after a major incident last season where he struck a Wisconsin assistant in the head during a heated exchange after a game. But it does not appear that he was disciplined for the actions alleged by Sanderson.
Manuel has already made it clear that he will evaluate the state of the program now that the season is over. But if the lackluster results on the court and back-to-back years without a trip to the NCAA Tournament aren’t enough, the full details of this report could wind up being the final nail in his coaching coffin.