Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden is accused of “sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and stalking” by multiple women while they were students at UF, according to The Independent Florida Alligator, and is the subject of a Title IX investigation at the university. According to documents obtained by The Alligator, a formal complaint filed Sept. 27 alleges Golden’s behavior is in potential violation of the UF Gender Equity Policy took place during the last 12 months.
It’s unclear how many women lodged complaints against Golden but The Alligator spoke with two women who confirmed Golden acted inappropriately toward them. One woman, a former Florida student, told The Alligator that Golden stalked her in his car and on foot “more than 10 times” and also sent unsolicited photos of his genitalia to her. The second woman, who is also a former Florida student, said Golden used “this manipulation tactic over everyone.”
They both claim Golden “liked” Instagram posts of theirs — sometimes multiple posts at once in an apparent attempt to get their attention — before going back and “unliking” them to avoid detection.
Golden, 39, is entering his third season as the Gators coach after being hired in 2022 following a successful three-year stint at San Francisco, which culminated with a 24-10 season and the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998. Florida went 16-17 in his first season but bounced back with a 24-12 season and NCAA Tournament appearance last season before being bounced in the first round as a No. 7 seed.
Florida returned six of its top nine scorers from 2023-24 including leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. and began the season ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25. The Gators are 2-0 entering their next game on Monday vs. Grambling State with double-digit wins over South Florida and Jacksonville.
