Gards explanation on CBS makes me angry.
Howard needs to be gone for the remainder of the season
Why?
There are two explanations:
1. Howard tried to walk by Gard without shaking hands, which is just poor sportsmanship on Howard's part, regardless of whether he agreed or disagreed with the timeout. You shake hands,and address it in the press conference or you say your piece while shaking hands. Here is what is unclear: it appears Gard reached out with his left hand and placed his left hand on Howard's right arm. Perhaps he was gently trying to stop him to take a minute to explain the timeout. Then Howard grabbed Gard's shirt, and shook his finger in his face.
2. Perhaps Gard was being aggressive, grabbing Howard's right arm, and Gard said something provocative, setting off Howard. That's a little bit better for Howard.
The third thing is what Joe Krabbenhof said/did to provoke the slap. There was a B1G official who was trying to intervene, and there were the two Michigan players. #5 looked like he wanted to get in a scrum, and he was smiling at the end.
The problem for Howard, is he has a history of bad behavior and being easily triggered and a sore sport. Don't know if Gard has such a history.