If Matt Barnes is saying you did something wrong, then it must be really bad.
The former NBA journeyman turned podcaster has reversed course after he stood up for suspended Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. On Thursday, he took to social media to argue that Udoka’s one-year suspension for a reported “improper” relationship with a female staffer was too harsh.
“I played in the league for a long time,” Barnes said on Thursday. “Anyone in the league could tell you this is a very common situation. This is not new news for people who’ve been in the league or around organizations. I’ve seen it from owners to executives, to coaches, to players, to trainers, to therapists, to dancers, to PR ladies. This is not uncommon.”
On Friday, Barnes walked back his defense of Udoka after claiming to have learned additional facts about Udoka’s situation.
“I clearly have to say that, last night, without knowing all the facts, I spoke in Ime Udoka’s defense, and after finding out the facts after I spoke, I erased what I posted. Because this situation in Boston is deep, it’s messy, it’s 100 times uglier than any of us thought, and that’s what I erased what I said.”
Barnes continued:
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“Some things happened that I can’t condone, I can’t back. It’s not my place to tell you what happened, if it ends up coming out, it ends up coming out. But that was the reason why I erased my post last night — because after I posted it, I got a call from someone who had all the details, and shit is deep. Man, praying for everyone involved. Hope everyone gets through this.”
Meanwhile, the details of the Udoka case remain unclear.
Udoka has one child with his longtime partner, longtime actress Nia Long, who was often seen at TD Garden during the Celtics’ run last season. She also posted in support of the team on social media.
