The Boston Celtics suspended Ime Udoka for the entirety of the 2022-23 NBA season this past week.
It was a stunning move, given that he had just guided the franchise to the Finals in his first year as head coach.
Udoka’s purported indiscretions involved a “consensual” romantic relationship with a team staffer. That is all that is known at this juncture, though certain insiders like Ramona Selburne of ESPN have insinuated that darker details have yet to emerge.
This week the Celtics had their media day. During it, understandably, players were asked about the Udoka situation. Jaylen Brown, the team’s second-best player, offered a surprising response when pressed on the matter.
“Initial reactions, we were all shocked what was going on, a little confused, but a lot of the information wasn’t being shared with us or members of the team, so you can’t really comment on it,” Brown said.
“I wish we had more details,” he continued.
“From what we know, it’s hard to make a decision based upon whether it’s consensual or not in the workplace,” Brown added.
“We know that’s happened before in the workplace. But I guess there’s more to it than [that] possibly, which I don’t know. I don’t have all the details. It’s not being shared with me.”
Given the legal ramifications involved, it is certainly understandable why the Celtics wouldn’t be able to share everything with players. But it genuinely seems like Brown knows exactly what fans know at this stage – which is crazy.
It feels like the organization is not doing a particularly good job of communicating with its players on this matter.
This situation has obviously been very messy from the jump. The newest details that have leaked out have been particularly awful.
That being said, sunshine is the best disinfectant. If the Celtics want to get out from under this situation, one that according to reports they have handled relatively haphazardly up to this point, they need to be as upfront as possible.
That’s one way to dress to a football game. https://t.co/TaiY0xjID5
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 27, 2022
With the players. With the fans. With everyone.
Will it happen? It’s impossible to say for certain.
Should it? Absolutely.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
