Actress Nia Long, who played Assistant Director Shay Mosley in NCIS: Los Angeles, recently called out the Boston Celtics for making her long-time boyfriend and former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka’s fornication and adultery public.
Ime Udoka via CGTN Sports Scene YouTube
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported that Udoka was “facing suspension for the entire 2022-2023 season for his role in a consensual relationship with a female staff member, sources tell ESPN. A formal announcement is expected as soon as today.”
Adrian Wojnarowski Twitter
The Celtics would confirm part of this report sharing to Twitter that they had suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 season.
They wrote, “The Boston Celtics announced today that the team has suspended Head Coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season for violations of team policies. A decision about his future with the Celtics beyond this season will be made at a later date. The suspension takes effect immediately.”
Boston Celtics Twitter
During a press conference called by the Boston Celtics, the organization did not provide any details on what the violation was, but indicated they contacted a law firm over the summer to conduct an investigation into the matter.
As for the punishment, Boston Celtics Governor Wys Grousbeck did say, “I personally feel that this is well warranted and appropriate, backed by substantial research, and evidence, and facts. So I’m standing by the decision and Ime has accepted it and has expressed, in fact, appreciation.”
“I don’t want to belabor that, but he’s been accepting of it and he’s planning to move forward on this basis,” he added.
RELATED: New Alleged Details Emerge Regarding The Boston Celtics’ Suspension Of Head Coach Ime Udoka
Following the press conference, a report from ESPN went on to detail that the law firm discovered that Udoka “used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman.”
ESPN further claimed the language that Udoka used “was deemed especially concerning coming from a workplace superior.”
Their report also claimed that “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.”
Ime Udoka via Boston Celtics YouTube
NBA Champion and ESPN analyst Matt Barnes alleged the Udoka’s suspension had less to do with the fact that he was committing fornication and more to do with who he was fornicating with.
Vlad TV stated, “Without getting into any details, it’s not so much that he slept with someone, but who he slept with.”
Barnes replied, “That’s what I’m hearing too. So if what I heard is true it’s just, ‘Yo, you’re on your own, bro. I can’t back that.’”
Barnes later asserted, “If everything comes out he’ll be lucky if he coaches in the NBA again to be honest with you.”
“I think it’s pretty heavy, man. It’s just some stuff you can’t do. You know what I mean? Because some stuff you can’t do. It’s just like, again, not judging, to each his own, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but if everything comes out it could get extra hot in the kitchen for him.”
RELATED: NBA Champion Matt Barnes Claims Ime Udoka’s Suspension Is “100 Times Uglier Than Any Of Us Thought”
At the beginning of October, SideLine Sports Inc. host Khaled Abdallah shared what he had heard regarding Udoka’s sin.
He wrote, “Heard some things about Ime Udoka situation from friend at NBA league office. We’ll see what’s real when the news drops: Udoka and Nia Long are in an open relationship and he is a ‘serial offender’ with the ladies wherever he coached.”
In Boston he slept with team staffer. That handles team accommodations and bookings. She is married and her husband caught em. Husband went to the team and they signed paperwork saying it was consensual and that should’ve been it. Later she said Udoka was inappropriate to her before they hooked up.”
Khaled Abdallah Twitter
He further added, “Team told him to chill but he kept doing whatever and then slept with a Celtics minority owners wife. That was too much for them and they suspended Ime. If it was mid-season they would’ve fired him but it’s offseason so more time to investigate and see what else he did.”
Abdallah concluded, “Udoka won’t resign bc he doesn’t wanna miss out on the payday but he will likely never coach in the NBA again. Many were surprised he got a HC gig because of his past behaviors. So no one was assaulted and no one got pregnant but this dude was wildin on the job.”
Khaled Abdallah Twitter
The Daily Mail would later claim that Udoka was committing adultery with the Celtic’s service manager Kathleen Nimmo Lynch.
The British outlet reported, “The female employee is team service manager Kathleen Nimmo Lynch, 34, a married mother-of-three.” Their report also noted, “A source familiar with the investigation told DailyMail.com that the affair was consensual, short lived, and had ended by the time investigators got involved.”
Ime Udoka via Boston Celtics YouTube
Long took the Boston Celtics to task for their handling of the fornication and adultery. She told The Hollywood Reporter, “I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public.”
She added, “It was devastating, and it still is. He still has moments where it’s not easy for him. If you’re in the business of protecting women — I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”
She also recalled her emotions when news broke that Udoka was fornicating and committing adultery with women other than herself, “I literally felt like my heart had jumped out of my body. And then what I found was this tribe of women and men who were standing up for me in a way that felt like I was in this bubble of protection, and that was very comforting.”
Nia Long via Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM YouTube
What do you make of Long’s comments regarding how the Boston Celtics handled Udoka’s fornication and adultery?
NEXT: Matt Barnes On Ime Udoka: “If Everything Comes Out He’ll Be Lucky If He Coaches In The NBA Again”