Boston Celtics assistant Jerome Allen pled guilty this week to accepting a $18,000 bribe from a parent of a prospective recruit when he was with Penn State in 2014, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe tweets.
Allen, who’s been on the Celtics coaching staff for three years, will be forced to repay the $18,000 and has been fined $200,000. The NBA is expected to suspend him for the findings, according to Himmelsbach.
Cs asst Jerome Allen pled guilty in U.S. District Court to accepting an $18,000 bribe in '14 from the parent of a prospective Penn recruit. As punishment he's repaying the $18,000 and is fined $200,000. I'm told Allen will remain on Cs staff but will likely face a suspension.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) October 5, 2018
Allen, a former head coach at Penn State, spent two seasons as a player in the NBA with the Timberwolves and Pacers. He spent the majority of his playing career overseas and entered his first year of coaching in 2009.
Jerome Allen is not expected to lose his job with the Celtics, who are projected to be a perennial contender in the Eastern Confefence this season. The team is led by All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, versatile center Al Horford and a talented young pairing of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Former All-Star Gordon Hayward is also set to make his return after missing 11 months of action due to ankle surgery.
The Celtics have also dealt with a separate legal matter, the arrest of second-year player Jabari Bird, in recent weeks. Bird faces multiple charges that stem from a domestic violence incident, and his future with the team remains unclear.
