Amid Ime Udoka’s one-year suspension, the Celtics “won’t stand in the way” if the coach pursues a coaching position elsewhere, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Wojnarowski added that there are teams who have been trying to find “preliminary understanding” of why Udoka was suspended before potentially pursuing him as a head coaching candidate.
This news comes in the same report that claims an independent law firm found that Udoka used crude language with a subordinate, which led to an inappropriate workplace relationship. As a result, Wojnarowski says that Udoka likely has a “difficult pathway” to return as the Celtics coach even after his suspension expires next year.
When Boston told Udoka of his suspension, the team reportedly made “no guarantees” that he would remain coach when eligible to return.
Last week, Boston suspended Udoka for having an “improper intimate and consensual relationship” with a female on the team’s staff, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Boston was reportedly aware of the relationship in July with the belief that it was consensual, but began investigating further after the staff member said that Udoka made unwanted comments toward her.
The Celtics brought in an independent law firm to conduct the investigation prior to making the decision to suspend Udoka until June of 2023.
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