As the story continues to unfold around the Nia Long and Ime Udoka controversy, the actress has broken her silence. In an exclusive with People, Long described the situation as a “difficult time.”

“The outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me,” Long said in a statement to the outlet today (Sept. 23). She added, “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.”

Udoka also issued a statement yesterday (Sept. 22) asking for privacy during this time. “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down. 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,” he said.

REVOLT previously reported that the Boston Celtics coach was recently outed for having a workplace affair with a female staffer. The news broke on Wednesday (Sept. 21). Since then, there has been a ton of support for Long. Fans on Twitter were furious with Udoka, noting that Long has “never been in the news for anything but her work,” but is now tied to a messy cheating scandal.

Long and Udoka have been together since 2010. The following year, they welcomed their son Kez Sunday Udoka into the world. She also has a 21-year-old son named Massai Dorsey II from a previous relationship. According to TMZ, Long was left in the dark about the affair.

“That’s so sad what happened to Nia Long. The worst [thing you] can do is let the world know before [your] wife [finds] out. Ughhh, men really ain’t s**t. Wtf[?]” one person tweeted. Yesterday, Udoka was suspended from his duties as a Boston Celtics coach for the 2022-23 basketball season.