The Celtics shed little light Friday on the circumstances that led the franchise to suspend head coach Ime Udoka for the entirety of the 2022-23 season.

During a news conference, the team’s brain trust said the one-year ban after “violations of team policies” — which reportedly included an inappropriate, intimate relationship with a female Celtics staffer — was “well-warranted” and “backed by substantial research and evidence and fact.”

Those were the words of Wyc Grousbeck, the majority owner and governor of the Celtics, who along with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens continually stated, citing privacy as a reason, that the team could not comment directly on the events that led to the suspension.

The Athletic reported late Thursday night that the female staffer recently accused Udoka of making “unwanted comments” to her.

The Celtics said they were alerted to “a potential situation” involving Udoka over the summer, which led to the hiring of an independent law firm that conducted an investigation.

“The investigation had some twists and turns, and it took some time to develop all the facts,” Grousbeck told reporters in Boston on Friday, one day after the announcement. “Everything we know was wrapped up two days ago.”

The Celtics said no one else — including the woman reportedly involved — has been disciplined or is expected to be disciplined. Udoka is facing a “significant financial penalty,” Grousbeck said, after the investigation found “a couple of violations” by a head coach who led Boston to the NBA Finals last season.

Team icon Paul Pierce tweeted that the punishment “should just be a fine not a suspension.” And the Celtics acknowledged that reaching the one-year-ban decision was not simple.

“This felt right, but there’s no clear guidelines for any of this,” said Grousbeck, who added that a “diverse group” of advisers weighed in on the decision. “I took a lot of advice from partners like Brad and others. We collectively came to this and got there, but it was not clear what to do.

“But it was clear that something substantial needed to be done, in my view, and it was.”

Stevens grew most emotional when reflecting upon the social media speculation that took off when reports emerged concerning the relationship. Twitter users attempted to narrow down Udoka’s partner by digging into women who are employed by the Celtics.

“We have a lot of talented women in our organization,” said Stevens, who has been with Boston for nearly a decade. “I thought [Thursday] was really hard on them. I think that nobody can control Twitter speculation and rampant bulls–t, but 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.”

Here’s what to know about Ime Udoka’s season-long suspension:

Stevens and Grousbeck met with the Celtics players, who are “very concerned” about this, Grousbeck said. Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will be the interim head coach. Stevens, who coached the team from 2013-21, said he was “absolutely not” thinking about returning to the bench.

Mazzulla, 34, has his own checkered past, with two arrests while in college at West Virginia, one that resulted in a guilty plea to disorderly conduct and public drunkeness, and one for allegedly grabbing a woman by the neck in a bar in which he pleaded to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct.

Stevens said when Mazzulla interviewed as an assistant in 2019, “I vetted the incidents when he was in college really thoroughly. … I believe strongly in Joe’s substantiveness as a person.”

In handing out a one-year suspension that runs through June 30, 2023 — rather than a slap on the wrist or an outright firing — the Celtics will be in an awkward position next summer. They said they are undecided about their future head coach.

“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” Udoka said in a statement. “I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”

On Friday, Udoka’s partner, actress Nia Long, responded to the outpouring with a statement provided to CNN by her rep.

“The outpouring love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me,” she said in the statement. “I ask that my privacy be respected as I process the recent events. Above all, I am a mother and will continue to focus on my children.”

This is Boston sports’ second recent instance of a high-end manger or coach being suspended for a season. After Red Sox manager Alex Cora was found to be involved in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, he and the Sox parted ways (and MLB then suspended him for a year). However, after his suspension was served, Cora returned to the Red Sox in 2021.

Asked on Friday what his year away from baseball was like, Cora admitted, “I f–ked up, right, I made a mistake and I paid the price. But when it happened, something bigger happened in the world, the pandemic.” He then described being able to be with his family during that time, before adding, “I just kept going, learned from that and kept moving forward.”

Asked what advice he would give Udoka, Cora declined to comment.

— additional reporting by Zach Braziller