In Boston, the Celtics are still reeling from a scandal that may destroy all that they built last season.
After being caught in an affair with a fellow Celtics staffer, head coach Ime Udoka was condemned to a year-long suspension by the team. Sadly, it doesn’t end there.
All throughout the week, various sources hinted that there was more to this story than was being reported, and it seems the latest nugget of truth was exposed on Friday in an article by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The independent law firm probe into Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka found that he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman, an element that significantly factored into the severity of his one-year suspension, sources told ESPN.
ESPN Sources: The law firm probe into Celtics coach Ime Udoka found crude language in his dialogue w/ a female subordinate prior to start of an improper workplace relationship, an element that significantly factored into severity of a one-year suspension: https://t.co/vjRArDWGZR
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 30, 2022
Ime Udoka’s Coaching Career In Doubt After Latest Details Of Misconduct Emerge
On its own, the affair would have been enough to put Udoka’s job in serious jeopardy, but this behavior of misogyny brings things up to a whole other level.
The power dynamic associated with a superior’s improper relationship with a staff member was the primary finding and policy violation cited in the law firm’s report, which was commissioned by the Celtics and completed early last week, sources said.
At a news conference last week, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said the suspension — which extends through June 30, 2023 — was a product of multiple violations of team policies, and sources told ESPN the Celtics won’t stand in Udoka’s way should he have the chance to become a coaching candidate elsewhere. There are teams that have tried to gather a preliminary understanding of the full explanation for Udoka’s suspension in preparation for possibly evaluating him for future coaching employment, sources told ESPN.
It’s hard to say for sure how deep this thing really goes. After such a strong season and a run to the Finals, one has to imagine that Udoka said some pretty awful things for him to be suspended for so long.
It’s a real shame, too, considering what he might have been able to do with this year’s Celtics team.
