Report: Jon Sanderson out after reaching settlement with U-M

Share

Tweet

Print

Email

According to reporting by The Athletic, Jon Sanderson is officially out as Michigan’s strength and conditioning coach.

Sanderson has been away from the program since he was involved in a practice altercation with Juwan Howard in December. The altercation reportedly was triggered by an interaction with Jace Howard and an athletic trainer. Howard was officially cleared of any wrongdoing by the Athetlic Department Department on December 15th and returned to coach his first game of the season against Eastern Michigan.

Sanderson had been on staff at Michigan since he was hired by John Beilein in 2009. His biography has been removed from MGoBlue‘s coaching staff page.

The Athletic reports that Sanderson levied additional complaints about the program, and a non-disclosure agreement was part of his settlement.

Sanderson’s exit comes after reaching a settlement with the university, two sources briefed on the agreement said. That agreement includes a non-disclosure clause, those sources said.

Sanderson’s departure follows a Dec. 7 confrontation with Michigan head coach Juwan Howard that resulted in Sanderson no longer working with the men’s basketball program. Sanderson spent the last 12 weeks working out of the athletic department’s south campus complex primarily with some of the school’s Olympic sports teams.

Sanderson’s attorney deferred all questions to the university. A text message to Sanderson was not immediately returned.

Sanderson levied additional complaints about the program’s culture under Howard unrelated to the Dec. 7 incident, a source briefed on the matter said.

The Athletic also cites emails from the Athletic Department investigating the incident, and the fall out from the incident. They include an email from Sanderson to Athletic Director Warde Manuel:

Sanderson wrote in the email to Manuel that he tried to de-escalate the situation, turning his back and walking away. When Sanderson looked back, he said Juwan Howard came at him, “angry and ready to fight,” repeatedly yelling as players and staff held him back.

“He kept aggressively pursuing me to fight, as the players and staff were doing their best to restrain him. He was out of control, it was an ugly scene. I had no choice but to stand my ground, I didn’t back down. A few of the players and staff got in front of me as well in an effort to keep us separated,” Sanderson wrote.