Tom Izzo GOES OFF on the Idea of Eliminating Handshake Lines After Juwan Howard Melee: ‘Typical of Our Country’
After the handshake line fracas that recently occurred, some have claimed the gesture should be eliminated from college basketball. But the tradition appears oddly important to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
Sunday afternoon, Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard slapped Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft across the face during a confrontation on the handshake line. The slap sparked a melee on the floor, with players, coaches, assistants and security getting involved, prompting questions of whether college basketball’s customary display of sportsmanship is necessary.
But if Covid couldn’t permanently eliminate the ritual, don’t expect a slap across the face to do it. Monday night, Michigan State’s basketball coach vehemently spoke out against the idea that Howard’s blunder should cause the handshake line to be eliminated from the sport.
“That, to me, would be the biggest farce, joke, ridiculous nature of anything I’ve ever heard of,” Izzo told reporters. “We’ve already taught these poor 18-year-olds that when you’re told to go to class and you don’t like it, you can leave. We’ve already told these kids if you’re not happy, you can do something else. We’ve already told these kids that it’s hard to hold them accountable.
“And now, we’re going to tell them to not man up and walk down a line on someone who’s kicked your butt and have enough class to shake their hand is utterly ridiculous…Not shaking hands is typical of our country right now. Instead of solving the problem, let’s make an excuse and let’s see if we can just, instead of confronting and demanding that it changes, let’s eliminate it so that we don’t have those problems.”
While the handshake line remains in place for now, Howard won’t be participating in the gesture for at least the next couple weeks. The Big Ten conference announced Howard has been suspended for the remainder of the regular season (five games) and fined $40,000 for his actions Sunday afternoon.
