Stephen A. Smith of ESPN slammed the Boston Celtics after news broke that their coach, Ime Udoka, was likely being suspended for reportedly having a consensual relationship with a staffer at the organization.
Smith claimed there were many instances where white people in professional sports organizations had exhibited similar behavior and the media remained unaware or mum about the subject.
“I’m going to take it a step further, I don’t appreciate that being done to a brother,” Smith said angrily. “Because I’ve got news for you, America, there’s plenty of white folks in professional sports that’s doing their thing. And I say that not complimentary. I don’t see the information out about them. Why we talking about this now. We got to talk about it because it’s the news.”
“Ain’t none of our damn business, unless you fire him,” he opined. “But if you keep him, it’s none of our business. It should never have been put out there by the Celtics organization. And don’t tell me you didn’t do it because you absolutely did it. Because news reporters got it, so it emanated out of Boston. Somebody in L.A. or Utah or something leaking this stuff about the Boston Celtics. This is on y’all. It shouldn’t have been out here. That’s what I have to say.”
“This is a stupid, stupid position for him to find himself in,” Smith admitted. “There’s no way around it. I’m a huge fan of his; there’s no excuse for him to find himself in this position.”
“Now all we know definitively, according to the reports, is that he had a consensual relationship with a woman and that it is against organizational policy. That’s all we know,” he contended.
“Covering the NBA as long as I have, you will hear a multitude of details that would be irresponsible for me to report at this moment in time, because that hasn’t been reported, and according to our own policy … and we have an obligation to follow that, and when more additional information comes out,” he smiled, “just know that I already know what that information is.”
Smith stated that if Udoka had violated the Celtics’ organizational policy, they had every right to fire him.
But then he attacked the Celtics’ organization, saying, “I got a problem with you as an organization. Because if you’re not going to fire him, why the hell do we even know about this story.”
“Nobody’s bringing that up,” he snapped. “I’m going to bring that up. What the hell are you telling us for?”
Claiming that “fraternization” happens all the time in sports organizations, he continued, “the issue I have with the Boston Celtics is if you’re firing him, you wouldn’t tell us why. So if you’re going to retain him, why let us know now?”
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