The Boston Celtics clarified all the confusion that went down on Tuesday when officially releasing a statement in response to the reported rumors surrounding last season’s head coach Ime Udoka — announcing that Udoka will serve a season-long suspension as a result of his violation of team policy.
The news surrounding Udoka didn’t take very long to hit the radar of the sports world, triggering reactions from former Celtics players and those in the media.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, best known for his outlandish rants on “First Take,” shared a similar sentiment to that of 2008 NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce who also disapproved of the organization’s stance before the Celtics even released their statement.
Smith, as he’s prone to, fired off on Twitter.
“This suspension of (Celtics) coach Ime Udoka is utter (expletive). If you thought I said enough this morning on (FirstTake), you haven’t seen a damn thing yet,” Smith tweeted on Thursday.
Udoka, who is reportedly on the hot seat for his role in “an improper and consensual relationship with a female member” of last season’s team staff, issued a response statement of his own shortly following the Celtics’.
Expectations, as of now, are that the Celtics will defer to assistant Joe Mazzulla to take over in the interim, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. However, the Celtics have not yet addressed their full plan for replacing Udoka in the 2022-23 season.
