Florida basketball coach accused of sexual harassment

NEW YORK (Agencies): Todd Golden, the men’s basketball coach at the University of Florida, has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment, according to the university’s student newspaper, The Alligator. The report, based on Title IX documents filed on 27 September, alleges potential breaches of the university’s Gender Equity Policy, including sexual exploitation, harassment, and stalking of female students over the past year. A university spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, and the institution had not released a public statement as of Friday afternoon. According to The Alligator, the allegations include Golden sending photos and videos of his genitalia while travelling on behalf of the university, using social media to initiate sexual advances and request sexual favours, and stalking women. He reportedly took photos of women and later sent these images to them, and he allegedly frequented locations where he anticipated encountering his targets.

Two women interviewed by The Alligator confirmed that they had filed complaints about Golden, and their statements aligned with the Title IX documents. They claimed Golden followed and unfollowed numerous women on social media to evade detection. One woman reported that he often told women they were “his drug” or “his good luck charm” before games, and she described his approach as manipulative, saying he sent identical messages to multiple women as if they were copy-pasted. Golden, aged 39, was appointed as the Gators’ 20th head coach on 18 March 2022, after previously coaching at San Francisco, where he led the team to a 57-36 record over three seasons, including two 20-win seasons and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in over two decades. Before his tenure at San Francisco, he was part of Bruce Pearl’s coaching team at Auburn. In his second season with Florida last year, Golden led the team to 24 wins, a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and to the SEC Tournament championship game – the first time the Gators reached this stage since 2014. Currently, the No. 21-ranked Gators have a 2-0 record and are scheduled to play Grambling State on Monday. Golden is married and has a young son and daughter.