What new details have we learned about Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka’s season long suspension?

As details continue to emerge, about the reasons behind the season long suspension of the Celtics coach, we can now understand that at the core of it all, there was the use of crude language toward a female employee.

Ime Udoka sent unwanted messages to female Celtics employee

According to reports, an independent investigation which was commissioned by the Boston Celtics, has discovered that head coach Ime Udoka used inappropriate language when communicating with a female subordinate. What’s significant here, is that initial reports suggested that Udoka was suspended for the duration of the 2022-23 NBA season, due to what was understood to be a consensual relationship with the woman in question. “Violations of team policies,” was the term used at the time by the Celtics to describe the reason for Udoka’s suspension.

What we can now understand, is something quite different. Not only did the female employee later accuse Udoka of sending unwanted messages - which led to the investigation in the first place - but we have since seen that the franchise itself has been extremely tight lipped about details. Indeed, even the players themselves have admitted that they remain largely in the dark. Perhaps, until now.

What do we know about Ime Udoka’s messages?

While there aren’t a ton of details in the report, what we can understand is that Udoka’s text messages contained language that was “especially concerning coming from a workplace superior” and will make it difficult for him to ever return as the team’s coach. In addition to the words he used, the power imbalance between himself and the staff member contributed to the suspension.” To be clear here, there has been no official statement from the franchise to indicate that Ime Udoka has been fired, however, in light of recent news, it may well be that this saga ends with that exact outcome.