BOSTON — Glen Davis’s life was turned upside down early Monday morning when he got into a fight with his former high school teammate, Shawn Bridgewater.

He broke his right thumb in the scuffle and he needed surgery to fix it. But he did receive some good news last night, when Celtics’ president of basketball operations Danny Ainge announced that the organization was not going to suspend him because of the fight.

Instead they gave him a hefty fine. The details of the fine were not disclosed.

Ainge said the Celtics did not want to suspend Davis because they wanted to keep him around the team.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident last night before his teammates battled the Chicago Bulls, Davis apologized to his teammates, coaches, everybody involved in the Celtics organization, and to the fans, saying that he made a “stupid mistake” that he wished he could take back.

“I wish it would’ve never happened,” Davis said. “I wish I could’ve learned without making this huge mistake. Things happen for a reason. I’m just thankful that the organization, the fans and everybody with the Boston Celtics has just welcomed me back with open arms.

“Life is full of decisions and some decisions are more crucial than others. At any moment, you can make the wrong decisions that can alter your life at any moment, so what I told myself is I have to think about everything I do from the little things to the small things. I got to make sure that I use it as a build of character and not something to destroy who Glen Davis really is.”

Davis said he was “so happy” and “full of joy” that he was not suspended.

“This summer was a crucial summer for me, just becoming a professional,” Davis said. “And when this happened, it was tough thinking about all the hard work I put in. And it just made me realize that I’m not where I need to be as a professional, because professionals make the right decisions at crucial moments, and at that time I didn’t.

Davis, who averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in the playoffs last season, is expected to miss the next six weeks because of his broken thumb.

Manipulation charges

The NBA is investigating the allegations made by former referee Tim Donaghy, who states in his unpublished book that his former colleagues manipulated games and allowed friendships with coaches to dictate calls.

He also alleges that referees occasionally made wages on games and that some referees would make calls to help a team win in the playoffs so that the series would go longer and it would increase TV ratings.

Celtics All-Star Ray Allen said that there were times in his career that he felt like referees were out to get him and/or the team he was on, but in the end, he says, there is a human element to the job, which means that all referees will make mistakes at times.

“Referees’ aren’t always perfect,” Allen said. Last year, Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his participation in a gambling scandal.

Injury list

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Brian Scalabrine (right ankle) might be ready to play as early as Sunday; Tony Allen (right ankle) will be out for at least another week.

roblee@projo.com