Jett Howard Addresses Speculation Surrounding Juwan's Reported Altercation

As rumors continue to swirl surrounding Juwan Howard's reported altercation with a staff member, his son, Jett, took to social media to set the record straight.

Although no official word has come from Juwan Howard or anyone from the University of Michigan yet, it appears as though some sort of altercation occurred between Howard and a member of his staff last week. 

According to Jeff Goodman's reporting, the altercation began when Juwan's son, Jace, got into a verbal altercation with one of the members of Michigan Basketball's training staff. This led to an exchange between Jace and strength and conditioning coach John Sanderson, which prompted Juwan Howard to get involved. 

“Jace Howard lost his cool on a trainer. John Sanderson heard it, and said something like, “That’s why the culture is what it is around here.” Juwan heard that, and then went nose-to-nose with Sanderson"@GoodmanHoops on the LATEST at Michigan:https://t.co/qQsDrKOlOT pic.twitter.com/MFoptsYx8s

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 13, 2023

While The Athletic is now reporting that the alleged incident is currently under review by the University of Michigan, another one of Juwan's sons, Jett, is coming to his father's defense. In a statement posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Jett took issue with those speculating about the incident, while also saying that the rumors about his father hitting a member of the staff were false.

It's certainly not uncommon in sports for teammates and coaches to have heated exchanges from time to time, but Howard's history as head coach at the University of Michigan has put this reported incident under the microscope. According to The Athletic, the incident between Howard and Sanderson was concerning enough for Sanderson to file an HR claim with Michigan in the immediate aftermath.

It's also worth noting that the university placed a zero-tolerance policy on Howard following his altercation with a Wisconsin assistant back in 2022, meaning any incidents of violence moving forward could result in his firing.

Of course, all of this comes as Howard is still in the process of recovering from heart surgery back in September. During his recovery, it has been associate head coach Phil Martelli who's taken over for the time being. While no official timetable has been given for when Howard would return to the sideline, there's belief that it could happen as soon as December 16 when the Wolverines face Eastern Michigan in Ann Arbor. 

.@JuwanHoward did not & is not stepping down as HC. He is enthusiastically hoping to return Dec 16th. Juwan is literally recovering from OPEN HEART SURGERY done Sept 15th. HAIL!!!!!

— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) December 11, 2023