What seemed like a normal college basketball game turned into a viral sensation Sunday after University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard erupted in anger after his arm was grabbed and he appeared to strike an opposing coach.
Michigan lost to Wisconsin 77-63, and as the two teams shook hands at the close of the game, Wisconsin's head coach, Greg Gard, appeared to grab Howard after it appeared that Howard was slow to shake his hand.
Multiple reports suggested that Howard, who played for the Miami Heat and was a member of Michigan's famed "Fab Five" in college, was upset that Gard called a timeout with 15 seconds left in the game and a 15-point lead.
In a video of the scuffle, Gard seems to grab Howard when he doesn't offer a handshake, and the two appear to have a heated exchange.
Players and coaches for each team begin to step in to separate the head coaches when Howard squeezes his way back into the center of the crowd and throws a punch, which appears to connect with the head of Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft.
Players, coaches and others on the court become entangled in a scrum in a scene reminiscent of the famous brawl between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers at the Palace of Auburn Hills, near Detroit, in 2004, which became known as "the Malice in the Palace."
It appeared Howard had to be restrained by members of his team at least twice, according to video of the incident.
Howard said at a news conference that he made a comment to Gard that he "would remember that," referring to the timeout Gard took in the final seconds of the game.
Howard went on to say he was taken aback when Gard grabbed his arm.
"For someone to touch me, I think that was very uncalled for for him to touch me as we verbalized and communicated with one another," Howard said. "And that's what ended up happened. That's what escalated."
Asked what, in his view, had happened, Gard also referred to Howard's having been upset by the timeout.
"He did not like that when he came through the handshake line, so I'll leave it at that," Gard said.
The moment took off on social media, with some making jokes about the scuffle and others, taking a more serious tone, calling for Howard to be suspended for multiple games because of his conduct.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement that a review will be launched and disciplinary action will be considered.
“There is no excuse for any of our staff or student-athletes to get into a physical altercation with others regardless of instigating factors," he said.
Manuel said he apologized to Wisconsin officials.
The Big Ten Conference, which includes both teams, said in a statement that "swift and appropriate disciplinary action" would follow its own review.
The University of Wisconsin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
