Juwan Howard Cleared to Coach for Michigan Following Surgery, Review of Confrontation

Juwan Howard is expected to return to the sidelines to coach Michigan on Saturday against Eastern Michigan, according to a statement released by athletic director Warde Manuel.

Howard underwent a scheduled operation on Sept. 15 to resect an aortic aneurysm and repair an aortic valve, conditions that were identified by doctors during a routine medical check in the offseason.

Associate head coach Phil Martelli has been Michigan's interim head coach while he recovered, although the Wolverines had gotten off to a poor 5-5 start to the season. Howard was involved in an altercation with strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson in a recent practice although no disciplinary action was enforced after an internal review, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello.

No punches were thrown, but the two men reportedly needed to be separated following the incident. Brendan Quinn of The Athletic reported on Dec. 10 that Howard remains under a "zero-tolerance policy" that was instituted by the school after striking Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft in Feb. 2022.

Howard has been with the team for a few weeks in an assistant coaching capacity as he's worked his way back towards regaining his duties as head coach. He initially returned as an observer during Michigan's trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis before entering his expanded role as an assistant, via Borzello.

"[Howard] has been very active at practice," Martelli said, according to Andrew Kahn of MLive.com. "I'm not gonna say it's seamless, but he is very engaged. He's not a spectator. He's a participant and has been since right before the Bahamas."

Howard is expected to help the team get back on track, as Michigan has finished with a winning record in every year since the 2014-15 season.