{"id":109981,"date":"2022-09-27T13:35:13","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T17:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=109981"},"modified":"2022-09-27T15:40:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T19:40:00","slug":"joe-mazzulla-addresses-arrests-concerns-about-his-past-im-not-the-same-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=109981","title":{"rendered":"Joe Mazzulla Addresses Arrests, Concerns About His Past: ‘I’m Not the Same Person’"},"content":{"rendered":"

CANTON — Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla<\/strong> spoke openly about the impact of his past legal troubles on Monday, admitting to his mistakes that have helped him evolve as a person, an assistant coach, and now, the newly-appointed leader of the 2022-23 Celtics.<\/p>\n

Mazzulla, 34, was arrested for underage drinking and aggravated assault in 2008. Then, the following year, the West Virginia point guard was arrested on charges of domestic battery, according to ESPN<\/a>. Mazzulla allegedly grabbed a woman by the neck at a local bar in Morgantown, W.VA., which came to light shortly after Ime Udoka’s<\/strong> suspension last week.<\/p>\n

“I’ve made mistakes; I’m not perfect,” Mazzulla<\/a> said Monday at Celtics Media Day. “I’ve hurt people, and I’ve had to use the situations I put myself in as a younger man. I’ve had to use it to learn from and become a better person. That’s what I’ve tried to focus on. How can I recreate my identity as a person? How can I rely on my faith, and how can I just have a positive impact on the people around me? And, I’ve always had good people around me.”<\/p>\n

Thirteen years removed from Mazzulla’s previous arrest, the Celtics trust their interim coach, who has no NBA head coaching experience, to guide its team with championship aspirations. He spent two seasons as head coach of Division 2’s Fairmont State — his only head coaching experience — before joining Brad Stevens’<\/strong> Celtics coaching staff in 2019.<\/p>\n