Posted by Jimmy Sali.
In the 2021-22 NBA season, the Boston Celtics ended with a 51-31 record, all the way as the second seed in their conference. At the helm of this was head coach Ime Udoka. Udoka got himself into some controversy just weeks before the beginning of the 2022-23 season, when news broke of a scandal he’d been involved in with a female member of the Celtics staff. He had an “inappropriate relation with a female team employee,” and “violated team policies” in the process. Due to this, he’d been suspended for at least one year away from the team and would not serve as their head coach, despite a successful season and NBA Finals appearance months prior to the scandal. Joe Mazzulla served as interim coach for a majority of the ongoing NBA season, and has now been granted a multi-year extension with the team. Udoka is no longer with the Celtics at all.
An investigation into the Udoka allegations was conducted all throughout the summer. This was done by an unspecified, independent law firm. Considering the relationship, though sexual, was apparently consensual on both ends, many questions are raised by the public on whether Udoka deserved the suspension or not. Udoka has a wife outside of the league, but cheating is not typically something that can be regulated by a job. From the Celtics public release, it was noted that the situation was part of a larger issue within the organization. The owner of the team, Wyc Grousbeck, promised to ensure that policy violations did not grow further than the isolated Ime Udoka cheating scandal.
From the perspective of women within the organization, strides had to be made by the Celtics to ensure they were supported and protected from social media accusations. Grousbeck himself, even after a legal investigation, admitted that the suspension came from “conscience and gut feel, because there’s no clear guidelines.” A situation like this continues to be in hot debate, but down to an ethical issue, Udoka had to be suspended from the team. The Celtics without him have continued to find success thus far this season, boasting a 47-21 record at the time of writing and once again second in the East.
Jimmy is a finance major at the Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University, Class of 2026.
Original Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/23/sports/basketball/ime-udoka-boston-celtics.html