The Ime Udoka drama has been a lot for the Boston Celtics to handle. They have gone into full PR mode over the last 12 hours with fans trying to get a sense of why the head coach was suspended for a full year. Of course, we now know that it has to do with Udoka's affair with a staff member on the team. It is an unfortunate situation that has real-world implications for everyone involved.
Unfortunately, Twitter has been running wild with speculation on the matter. Some accounts have even improperly identified the woman that Udoka was sleeping with. This has led to some harassment online, and it has put innocent people in harm's way, which is simply unacceptable. Today, Stevens spoke to this reality, noting that Twitter and other platforms like it are a horrible place for these rumors to fester.
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“Obviously it’s been a hard time, but you know, the only thing I would like to say is… we have a lot of talented women in our organization and I thought yesterday was really hard on them. [But] nobody can control Twitter speculation and rampant bulls–t,” Stevens said. “I do think that we as an organization have a responsibility to make sure we’re there to support them now because a lot of people were dragged unfairly into that.”
Stevens was emotional throughout the press conference and it is easy to see why. This is a massive moment in the team's history, and they need to stick the landing to avoid more scrutiny.
Stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates on this subject.