One day after Michigan men's basketball coach Juwan Howard sparked a brawl by striking an opposing coach in the handshake line, the Big Ten sent a message that such behavior won’t be tolerated.
The league fined Howard $40,000 and suspended him for Michigan's final five games of the regular season, meaning he will be a bystander as the Wolverines try to nail down an NCAA tournament bid.
Howard, who defended his actions after Sunday's game, struck a very different tone a day later. In a statement released minutes after the Big Ten revealed his penalty on Monday evening, Howard said he now realizes "how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many.