GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden returned to the court to applause Monday, three days after a student newspaper reported sexual harassment and stalking allegations against him.
Golden said after the No. 20 Gators’ 86-62 home win that the last few days have been “challenging.” The 39-year-old said he was “respecting the situation” and cited due process but declined to comment about specific allegations amid the school’s Title IX investigation into his conduct.
“(I) obviously would love to be able to give you more, but that’s all I can give in this moment,” Golden said.
Golden referred reporters to a statement he posted on social media Saturday. It acknowledged that he has been “actively participating” in an inquiry over the last month and that he’s working with attorney Ken Turkel about a possible defamation case.
Florida’s student newspaper, The Alligator, reported Golden was being investigated on complaints of misconduct involving multiple women. One former student told The Alligator that Golden sent her lewd photos of himself.
Despite the serious accusations, things didn’t seem much different Monday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
When Golden walked out of the tunnel with 2:07 left on the pregame clock, he was welcomed by a smattering of applause. The loudest pregame roar came moments later when he was introduced by the public address announcer.
“I thought it was great,” Golden said of the fans’ reaction. “I thought they were as usual, and obviously during the current circumstances, I appreciate it.”
Golden crouched and clapped and calmly strolled the sideline in front of his wife and two children. He hardly moved when guard Will Richard stole the ball near midcourt, drove to the basket and slammed home a dunk that extended the Gators’ lead to 26 with six minutes left.
Golden simply looked and acted like the coach of a top-20 team playing a mid-major tuneup on a mid-November weeknight.
“It feels like normal, to be honest,” Golden said. “This is my job. So it’s my position at the moment, and we will continue to do it.”
The only boos came in the closing minute when Golden walked over to Olivier Rioux — a 7-foot-9 fan favorite — but didn’t take the freshman center off the bench and into the blowout.
The school has said little about the investigation. A university spokesperson said Friday that the school can’t comment on Title IX inquiries. An athletic department spokesperson didn’t mention the investigation in a statement Sunday that said Golden’s status was unchanged.
Golden did not say when he expects the investigation to be resolved and said he wasn’t concerned about how his players would handle the situation because “I think they know who I am.”
When asked about his message to female fans, Golden brought up due process and the need to continue supporting players.
“I just would hope that they would allow the process to take place and see where it ends up,” Golden said.
(Photo: Matt Pendleton / Imagn Images)
