Two Florida Hoops Coaches Are The Subject Of University Investigations; Both Are Still Coaching

At first glance, a casual men’s basketball fan might think all is well in the Swamp. The Gators’ most recent game was a thorough, 30-point stomping of rival Georgia. The squad is 18-2, third in the SEC, and ranked in the top 10 in both the coaches and AP polls. After years without a deep run in March Madness, the Stephen C. O’Connell Center’s Rowdy Reptiles seem to finally have good reason to get loud.

Except on Nov. 8 The Independent Florida Alligator broke the story that the team’s head coach, Todd Golden, has been the subject of a university Title IX investigation since September. Per The Alligator, the complaint said that Golden was under investigation for allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, and stalking aimed at Florida students. From The Alligator:

The claims regarding sexual harassment, which could also include sexual exploitation, cited unwanted sexual advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors, sending photos and videos of his genitalia while traveling for UF and various occasions of stalking.

There was allegedly more than one occasion in which Golden was taking photos of women walking or driving and sending those pictures to the subjects involved. Various stalking incidents also included Golden showing up to locations where he knew the women would be.

On allegedly more than one occasion, Golden was engaging women on Instagram by liking photos then waiting until they read the DM before un-liking the photos to avoid suspicion.

Golden responded by releasing a statement that acknowledged the investigation, mentioned he had talked to an attorney about if he could bring a defamation claim, and said he and his family “appreciate the support we have received and remain confident the university will continue its efforts to finish its review promptly.”

Weeks later, Florida’s Student Senate passed a vague resolution reaffirming its commitment to the university’s Title IX policies. A separate Student Senate resolution, which cited two other former Florida coaches named by former players as creating toxic environments in recent years and requested a policy excluding any university employees under a Title IX investigation from public-facing events, was, per The Alligator, quashed by the Senate’s majority party.

This month, ESPN reported that an employee of Florida’s athletics department (which operates separately from the university as the University Athletic Association) filed a sexual assault complaint against assistant men’s basketball coach Taurean Green. Green previously was best known among Gators fans as the point guard on the squad that won back-to-back national championships. From ESPN:

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, reported to the school’s Title IX office that in March 2024, assistant men’s basketball coach Taurean Green arranged a meeting with her in the athletic facilities, where he kissed her and tried to put his hand down her pants, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by ESPN.

She pulled his hand away and said no, and he tried again, at which point she got away, according to the complaint. Until that day, she had never been alone with Green and had only exchanged casual greetings with him on campus, she told ESPN in an interview.

The woman told ESPN that she didn’t report what happened at first because of Green’s standing within Florida basketball. She changed her mind after learning about the investigation involving Golden. The complaint was filed Jan. 14.

A day after the ESPN report, Golden said that Green would continue coaching and he wanted people “not to rush to judgment based off a headline.” Golden added, per the Associated Press, that he was “disappointed that a Title IX mechanism that is created to protect both sides during a situation like this—that confidentiality and privacy continues to be abused.”

That was on Jan. 17. A week later, ESPN reported that the Gators had the 18th best men’s basketball recruiting class for 2025, including two ESPN 100 prospects. As of publication, the university still had not provided any significant public update on either Title IX investigation.

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