- Florida basketball coach Todd Golden was accused of sexual harassment and stalking by multiple women. The Title IX investigation into him has been dropped.
- Florida assistant coach Taurean Green was accused of sexually assaulting an athletic department employee. The Title IX investigation remains ongoing.
Todd Golden has led the Florida men’s basketball team to a place it hasn’t been since Billy Donovan was in Gainesville. But his quest to bring the Gators a third national championship has been clouded by Title IX investigations against not just him, but also an assistant coach who was a key part of those first two title teams.
The 39-year-old head coach has led the Gators to a 30-4 record, an SEC tournament championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament this year. It’s enough to make Golden a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year. With him throughout his three seasons at UF has been Taurean Green, who serves as a bridge from the Donovan days. Green was the point guard in 2006 and 2007, when the Gators won back-to-back championships.
Both men have been accused of Title IX violations over Florida‘s most successful season in more than a decade. Multiple women said Golden engaged in sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking over the course of a year, while a female employee said Green sexually assaulted her at a meeting a year ago.
While the investigation into Golden has been closed after finding no evidence he violated Title IX, the probe into Green is ongoing. Green has not spoken on the matter, though he and Golden both continued to coach throughout the process. As Florida begins its March Madness journey, here’s what to know about the cases against both coaches:
Who is Todd Golden?
Todd Golden has been the head coach of Florida men’s basketball since March 18, 2022, replacing Michael White. In his first two seasons in Gainesville, Golden put together a record of 40-29, leading the Gators to the NCAA tournament in 2023 after a surprise run to the SEC tournament championship game.
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Before taking the UF job, Golden was head coach at San Francisco for three seasons from 2019-2022. In his final season there, he led the Dons to their first March Madness appearance since 1998. In six seasons as a head coach, Golden has won 20 games four times. He was an assistant at Columbia and Auburn before joining the USF staff.
As a player, Golden was a point guard at Saint Mary’s College in California from 2004-2008, being named team captain in his senior season and making the NCAA tournament twice. Golden married Megan York, a player on the Saint Mary’s volleyball team and the West Coast Conference Co-Freshman of the Year in 2007.
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What are the Todd Golden allegations?
As first reported by the Independent Florida Alligator on Nov. 8, Todd Golden was under investigation after the University of Florida Title IX office filed a complaint in September. According to the complaint, Golden targeted several UF students over the course of 12 months.
The complaint alleged Golden made unwanted advances toward women on social media, requested sexual favors and sent pictures of his genitalia while traveling in his duties with UF. According to the complaint, Golden stalked multiple women, including taking pictures of women walking or driving and sending the photos to their subjects. The complaint also alleged Golden showed up at places he knew the women would be on more than one occasion.
What happened in the Todd Golden investigation?
The university announced Jan. 27 that the investigation against Golden was closed for lack of evidence. The Title IX office’s duty was to determine whether the allegations would have occurred during university activities or as part of a university program, not whether the actions took place. ESPN reflected that notion in a report on a letter from the university to a female complainant.
“After a thorough investigation that included dozens of interviews over the past months, the University of Florida has found no evidence that Todd Golden violated Title IX,” Florida spokesman Steve Orlando said in the university’s release.
What has Todd Golden said about the allegations?
A day after news of the Title IX investigation was released, Todd Golden announced on social media that he had retained attorney Ken Turkel about the possibility of filing defamation lawsuits. Turkel is a national trial attorney with a focus on media and privacy rights litigation. No such lawsuit has come about.
After the investigation closed, Golden’s attorney, William Shepherd, released a statement claiming some parties involved did not respect the process’ confidentiality. “Instead, they sought to target Coach Golden and drive their agenda and this investigation for their own self-interest,” the statement read. “Some leaked confidential material to the media; falsely posed as a UF lawyer in an effort to intimidate; harassed UF students and parents to try to generate a false narrative; and harassed my client, his family, and his friends.” Golden mentioned similar complaints around the investigation into assistant coach Taurean Green.
Golden also posted to social media: “The last several months have been a challenge for me and my family as the process has dragged on. We asked the public to allow the process to work through its conclusion and not rush to judgment based on allegation. The UAA and so many from the University have been tremendously supportive ― my family and I are extremely grateful.”
Who is Taurean Green?
Taurean Green is a Boca Raton native who was a starter on the back-to-back national championship teams at Florida in 2006 and 2007. He was the 2006 SEC tournament MVP and made two All-SEC second teams, leading the SEC with 184 assists in 2006 and leading the nation in playing 1,328 minutes in 2007. The 6-foot guard averaged 10.6 points per game on 40.1% shooting with 3.6 assists per game over three seasons in Gainesville.
Green was taken by Portland in the second round of the 2007 NBA draft, playing just one season in the NBA for the Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets. He’s played around Europe after that, gaining citizenship in Georgia in 2010 to play for its national team. He joined Golden’s staff in 2022 as assistant coach of player development.
What are the Taurean Green allegations?
An ESPN report Jan. 16 said a UF athletic department employee filed a Title IX complaint against Green, accusing him of sexual assault. The report states the woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said Green arranged a meeting with her in March 2024, where he kissed her and tried to put his hand down her pants. She said no and tried to pull his hand away, and he tried again, after which she escaped, according to ESPN.
The woman did not report the incident at first for fear of retaliation, the report said, but she did so after Title IX investigators came to her as part of the Todd Golden probe. Green has not commented on the allegations.
What happened in the Taurean Green investigation?
The Title IX investigation into Taurean Green is ongoing, and he has continued in his regular duties as assistant coach. Golden expressed frustration over parts of the investigations into Green and himself on Jan. 17.
“I simply want to say I support my staff and would implore people not to rush to judgment based off headlines,” Golden said. “I think for me I’m really just frustrated and disappointed that a Title IX mechanism that is created is protect both sides during a situation like this with confidentiality and privacy continues to be abused.
“As frustrating and as disappointing and as hard as it is to do, I’m going to do what I need to do and continue to respect the process as I have and as always continue to respect and appreciate the support for myself, my family and my program during this time.”
How to watch Florida basketball in March Madness
- Who: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
- Time: 6:50 p.m. Friday
- TV channel: TNT
- Live streaming: Sling TV
Contributing: Kevin Brockway and David Whitley, The Gainesville Sun
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