Wyc Grousbeck looked shaken. Brad Stevens, too. Hours after the Celtics announced a season-long suspension for Ime Udoka, an unprecedented punishment for what the franchise termed “a violation of team policies,” the two most powerful men in Boston’s organization struggled over the course of a 28-minute press conference to explain why Udoka was no longer a part of it.
“It was a long, thorough process,” said Stevens. “Obviously it’s been a hard time.”
The Celtics issued a terse, three-sentence statement announcing Udoka’s suspension on Thursday. On Friday, they revealed little more. Grousbeck declined to delve into the team’s investigation of Udoka, citing privacy reasons. He said the Celtics learned of an issue with Udoka over the summer and that the team has hired an outside legal firm to investigate. The investigation, Grousbeck said, “had some twists and turns” before revealing “a volume of violations.” He said Udoka’s suspension will run through June 30—but made no commitments to Udoka coming back.
