Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden faces serious allegations of sexual harassment & stalking. The Alligator, a student newspaper, obtained Title IX documents detailing these accusations. According to media reports, Jack Meyer and Max Tucker from The Alligator report that the University received a formal Title IX complaint against Golden, 39, on September 27. The allegations reveal that Golden engaged in various misconduct that violate the UF Gender Equity Policy.
Specific allegations against Todd Golden:
The formal Title IX complaint includes claims of sexual exploitation, harassment, and stalking towards UF students over the past year.
Accusations related to sexual harassment that allegedly began with sending photos & videos of his genitalia while on UF-associated travel, making unwanted advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors, and repeated instances of stalking. It’s reported that Instagram was allegedly used by Golden to stalk & harass women. This reportedly involved appearing at locations where he knew they would be and engaging through liking/unliking old photos to initiate direct messages.
Two alleged victims, both former UF students, spoke to The Alligator about the patterns and actions they claim were used by Golden.
The first woman, a former UF student, said that Golden stalked her in person, both in his car and on foot, and that this occurred “more than 10 times.” On one occasion, she said she posted her location on her Instagram story, and Golden messaged her shortly after saying that he was in the area “waiting for her.”
She also said Golden sent unsolicited photos of his genitalia to her. On multiple occasions, the first woman said she received the photos while the team was traveling on the road. The nature of Golden’s alleged stalking became more assertive over time, she said.
“At first, it starts off slow, like, ‘Oh, wow. That’s odd. This guy is showing us attention,’” the first woman said. “And then it becomes, ‘Wow, he’s kind of crossing a line. No, he didn’t mean it that way.’ Then it’s, ‘Wait, he’s fully stepping over that line.’ And then it’s, ‘Wow, there’s a picture of his d*ck.’ It was a full grooming process with all of us.”
Both women also claim that Golden’s behaviors date back to 2023 or earlier. They said that Golden would search way back on their profiles and like about ten pictures at once, DM them, and then unfollow them. According to Snoopreport, a publicly accessible Instagram activity tracking software, Golden unfollowed 118 accounts between August 1 and September 1. At least 20, if not more, of these accounts appear to have been young women without connection to the Florida basketball program or any other organizations that Golden had previously affiliated with. The women separately confirmed that Golden had blocked them rather than unfollowed them.
Both women also allege UF Special Assistant Ralphie Ferrari and UF Director of Basketball Strategy and Analytics Jonathan Safir were complicit in Golden’s misconduct and had knowledge of it. One of the women stated that she believes there is a culture of sexual harassment within Florida’s coaching staff that has only grown since his arrival in Gainesville over two years ago.
What have Golden and the Florida Athletics said regarding these allegations?
Presently, there is no statement from them. As a formal Title IX claim is now filed, responses may be limited. A UF spokesperson informed The Alligator that the university is unable to confirm or discuss any Title IX matters in line with federal regulations. The UF men’s basketball coaching staff didn’t respond in time for publication.
Who is Todd Golden?
Golden recently led No. 21 Florida to victories against South Florida & Jacksonville, starting their season 2-0. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Golden played college basketball at St. Mary’s before a professional stint with Maccabi Haifa in Israel between 2008-2010. He returned to college basketball as an assistant at Columbia in 2012 before moving to Bruce Pearl’s Auburn program from 2014-2016 in a similar role. He then transitioned to San Francisco as associate head coach under Kyle Smith; he became head coach when Smith moved to Washington State in 2019.
Golden achieved a record of 57–36 at San Francisco and led them to the NCAA Tournament during his third season. Following a first-round exit in 2022, he was chosen to succeed Mike White at Florida. Currently, in his third year with the Gators, Todd Golden holds a record of 42–29 and signed a two-year contract extension last March—extending his tenure in Gainesville until the 2029-30 season.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing survivors of sexual abuse. We have handled multiple cases of sexual abuse by authority figures in schools. It is expected that any institutions in which children learn and develop skills offer an environment in which they are safe from violence, bullying, harassment, and sexual abuse. Athletic coaches are entrusted to facilitate learning and support their players’ educational and training needs. Anyone who sexually violates children has no place working in the community or school athletic programs. Any organization committing such a crime must take responsibility for failing to properly screen potential coaches and protect their players.
If you or a loved one was sexually abused, assaulted, raped, or molested by a coach, principal, teacher, or other school employees, contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation.