An alleged confrontation between Michigan head basketball coach Juwan Howard and longtime Michigan strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson is being probed by University of Michigan human resources, leaving the program in a state of flux.
According to three team and university sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly on internal university personnel issues, Sanderson filed an HR claim following a heated dispute with Howard on Dec. 7.
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For Howard, the Wolverines’ fifth-year head coach, the overarching issue with such an HR review is that his employment at Michigan is under a “zero-tolerance policy” instituted by the university stemming from a postgame skirmish at Wisconsin in February 2022.
According to one official with understanding of university policy, human resources is responsible for collecting and reviewing the facts of the incident, including Howard’s account, then creating a report for Howard’s superior, who will make the ultimate determination if any policy was violated. That will be Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and the University of Michigan legal counsel. Manuel hired Howard in 2019.
As of Wednesday afternoon, results of the HR review are believed to still be pending.
Conversations with multiple witnesses and individuals briefed on the matter establish a partial picture of what occurred last Thursday.
The confrontation between Howard and Sanderson stemmed from a disagreement between an athletic trainer and senior guard Jace Howard, Juwan’s 22-year-old son. Jace Howard has not played this season with a stress fracture in his right knee and tibia, and questioned why he’s yet to be cleared to play.
Sanderson became involved in that dispute, and he and Juwan Howard exchanged words. According to a combination of witnesses and individuals briefed on the matter, no punches were thrown, but things became heated to the point where the two were separated.
Sanderson, a 15-year employee, is one of a few holdovers from Howard predecessor John Beilein. He’s well-known among Michigan fans for his “Camp Sanderson” brand, a result of Michigan producing multiple pros who cited summer workouts with Sanderson as keys in their development. Sanderson also works with the men’s and women’s golf programs.
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Sanderson did not appear for work Dec. 8, nor did he travel to Iowa with the program for Michigan’s game at Iowa on Sunday or attend practices this week. He did not return a call for comment.
Michigan plays next on Saturday in Ann Arbor against Eastern Michigan. It’s unclear whether Howard will serve as an assistant or as head coach against EMU. Howard, who has not spoken to the media since an NIT loss to Vanderbilt last March, was spotted recruiting in the Detroit metro area on Tuesday night.
The ongoing season has been challenging for Howard. He underwent heart surgery on Sept. 15 at U-M’s Cardiovascular Center. He’s spent much of the season transitioning back to a coaching role. Since late November, he’s sat on the sideline as an assistant coach while associate head coach Phil Martelli has served as interim head coach.
Howard’s procedure resected an aortic aneurysm and repaired the aortic valve. It came with an initial prognosis of a 6- to 12-week recovery. This week marks 12 weeks.
Howard’s zero-tolerance policy dates back nearly two years. Following a 77-63 loss at Kohl Center on Feb. 20, 2022, Howard exchanged words with Wisconsin coach Greg Gard in the handshake line, resulting in a fracas between the two sides. Amid the disorder, Howard struck Badgers assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft in the head.
At the time, Manual called the incident “unacceptable behavior” and the Big Ten suspended Howard for the final five games of the 2021-22 regular season and fined him $40,000.
The incident at Wisconsin came on the heels of a previous altercation between Howard and Maryland coach Mark Turgeon in 2021.
Howard is on a contract running through the 2025-26 that was last extended in November 2021. Michigan is 5-5 and 1-1 in the Big Ten this season, having won at Iowa on Sunday.
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Quinn: Can Juwan Howard and Michigan survive a season to forget?
(Top photo of Juwan Howard in March 2023: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
