Almost one year ago on March 13, I wrote an article defending Juwan Howard’s behavior when he suddenly had a case of the “Get off Me’s.” Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon charged him after getting into a shouting match on the sideline during the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
I explained that anyone that has grown up in the ghetto understands that certain instincts never go away. The instinct of defending yourself and surviving are paramount growing up in ANY HOOD, USA.
However, on Sunday Howard who got into a heated argument with Wisconsin head coach, Greg Gard, and got that same case of the “Get Off Me’s” but didn’t listen to his “No Men” when they tried to tell him to chill out.
Instead he ended up throwing a punch and hitting one of Gard’s assistant coaches. That punch started a melee as coaches and players began to throw blows. It was insane and completely unacceptable.
Last year Howard was able to explain why he’d reacted the way he did but this time there is no room for excuses. He actually threw a punch. Regardless of what was said and how mad he was. He’s still the head basketball coach at a major institution of higher learning. He’s supposed to be the leader of young mean. Not the leader of young men into a brawl after a loss. That’s not the example he’s supposed to be setting.
Most folks that grew up in the hood understood why Juwan, who’s from the south side of Chicago, reacted the way he did, initially. Howard went into defense mode before he’d even realized what was going on and was in my Master P voice, “Bout it!” You grab me and it’s on. That was his initial thoughts. However, you quickly have to dismiss that thinking because you’re a grown man with a job.
It went south for him when he started with the “Get Off Me’s!” He was good up until that point. All he had to do was walk away and lead his team into the locker room and this morning we’re not having this stupid conversation.
He forgot that he was the head basketball coach at the University of Michigan. He’s not a kid that just came to campus from ANY HOOD, USA. He’s a grown man that’s been out of the hood for almost three decades.
So when the assistants grab you and say chill out. You get your composure back and chill out. Why? Because you’re the grown man that’s in charge of the program now. Not the young kid in the Starter Jacket in front of the dorm anymore. I get that once the fuse gets lit it’s hard to stomp it out but it has to be stomped out.
You don’t start with the “Get Off Me’s” and then fire on a man. That’s what the kids do. We’re constantly reminding them that the real world doesn’t work that way. You can go to jail for that type of behavior.
You’re the freakin’ guy in charge. You’re the guy that all of the kids are looking up to and following now. I know that it’s hard to turn off once some fool turns it on for us. I’m not judging. I’m just saying that when the “No Men” say chill out you’ve got to chill out.
That’s the reality of being from ANY HOOD, USA and now being in Corporate America for many of us. We’ve got those same instincts that we can never get rid of. However, those same instincts are what allowed us to become successful in life. We are survivors and no one is going to keep us from getting what belongs to us. We compete real hard.
However, every once in a while a person comes along that doesn’t understand that grabbing a person that’s already upset that is from ANY HOOD, USA will take a turn for the worse.
Those of us that grew up in the hood completely understood why Juwan snapped but was saying at the same time, chill out bruh because we’re rooting for you. It all popped off in the heat of the moment. I get it, but once those assistants grabbed him and said “Yo bruh chill! Juwan has to regain his composure and walk to the locker room.
Juwan is a great human being and excellent coach that made a huge error in judgment. That error might just cost him more than he was willing to pay. There was NO excuse for his behavior on Sunday and now he’s got to live with whatever consequences come his way.
We’ve all been scared by our experiences growing up in the hood. That’s why it’s so important that we remain conscious of those hidden instincts that can jump out and bite if we lose focus. Stop me when I start lyin’!