New Reporting Suggests Ime Udoka Used "Crude Language" Prior To Entering An Improper Workplace Relationship

Adam Glanzman. Getty Images.

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(ESPN) - The independent law firm probe into Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka found that he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman, an element that significantly factored into the severity of his one-year suspension, sources told ESPN.

Those investigative findings -- which described verbiage on Udoka's part that was deemed especially concerning coming from a workplace superior -- contribute to what is likely a difficult pathway back to his reinstatement as Celtics coach in 2023, sources told ESPN.

The power dynamic associated with a superior's improper relationship with a staff member was the primary finding and policy violation cited in the law firm's report, which was commissioned by the Celtics and completed early last week, sources said.

OK, so we finally have some concrete updates to this story that isn't Matt Barnes and isn't random Twitter #Sources. During the Celtics press conference they informed us that when they initially heard about this situation back in July they hired a third party law firm to look into things. Whatever came back from that report obviously played a huge role in the Celtics punishment and Ime's future. After reading this Woj story, I can't imagine the reporting here is the whole story. It can't be. 

What Woj is reporting is fucked up, I think we can all agree there. It's absolutely enough to not only warrant the suspension but also end Ime's tenure as head coach. But there's a part of me that still believes things are WAY worse than what is initially reported. I'm just going by the facts as we've learned them.

1. Woj drops the initial report that only talks about a "consensual relationship". That got the early narrative out there but never made any sense given how severe the punishment was. The Shams followed up with the real nugget, that there was "unwanted comments" and things got way more serious.

Once we learned the Shams reporting combined with how serious the Celtics were taking this, you got the sense that it was not the team that leaked that initial reporting to Woj. Why would they try and make it seem like a normal consensual relationship when their own punishment didn't match up with that? It felt more like Ime's camp wanted that wording out early to help establish a narrative, which kind of worked until the Shams update.

2. The initial reporting on this law firm investigation drops and it's around "crude language" that heavily impacted the decision to suspend him and looks like it cost Ime his job combined with the power dynamic issue.

This is where I think we might be getting another Ime camp leak to get ahead of something. It makes me feel like the real nuggets are about to drop any minute. Like I said, obviously, this alone is enough to get rid of him, but I just have a hard time believing this is ALL that the law firm uncovered. When Matt Barnes is talking about how things are 100X worse than reported and that Ime may never work in the NBA again, I feel like that doesn't just add up to crude language and an abuse of a power dynamic. Even if you think Barnes was embellishing a little bit, based on how this whole story has been reported I feel like we all have to take the initial shit with a grain of salt. 

Continuing to add up what we know, is it possible that Ime in some way threatened/intimidated a subordinate with that crude language which then in turn made her feel like she had to enter some sort of relationship with him? That's clearly an abuse of power. Not even factoring whatever else might exist, that's how Woj's reporting reads right? 

I dunno, at the end of the day we're all just speculating and have to take these nuggets of reporting as they come. I'm just trying to understand how it all adds up. What we know now is 100% enough to understand why Ime's time in Boston is over, but doesn't really add up if you buy into Barnes' statements that Ime might never work in the NBA again. That's what makes me feel there is still WAY more to come out about this and this latest Woj nugget might be another attempt at damage control by Ime's side.

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The whole thing is such a clusterfuck and the only thing we know for sure is it's nowhere close to being over.