Florida coach Todd Golden releases statement after conclusion of Title IX investigation

Florida announced it had concluded its Title IX investigation of men’s basketball coach Todd Golden on Monday with “no evidence” that he had violated the policy.

Shortly after, Golden himself released a statement on the matter.

“The last several months have been a challenge for my family and me while this process dragged on,” Golden said in the statement. “We asked for the public to allow the process to work through to its conclusion and not rush to judgment based on allegations. The UAA and so many at the University have been tremendously supportive — my family and I are extremely grateful.

“And thank you to our fans for your incredible support of our players and our program. It has made a huge difference.”

The Title IX allegations first surfaced on Nov. 8 when an article in The Independent Florida Alligator compiled several details on the accusations.

The allegations included sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking aimed at Florida students for over a year, according to a formal Title IX complaint obtained by The Alligator.

The University of Florida administration didn’t comment to The Alligator, citing federal law that prevented them from confirming or commenting on Title IX processes.

The Alligator also reported on the purported nature of the alleged sexual harassment outlined in the complaint, which reportedly included “unwanted sexual advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors, sending photos and videos of his genitalia while traveling for UF and various occasions of stalking.”

Golden is also alleged to have gone to various locations he knew the women would be, as well as taking pictures of them or their vehicles and sending them to them, according to the report. He is also alleged to have used Instagram to try and engage with the women, liking a post and quickly unliking it, but still causing a notification, according to the report.

Additionally, The Alligator spoke to multiple women who attested to the alleged behaviors from Golden.

The university investigated the Title IX claims and found “no evidence” that Todd Golden had violated Title IX.

The conclusion of the case comes at an ideal time for Florida. The team is in the thick of the SEC title race and is ranked as a top-five team in the country.

Golden is in his third season at Florida and has compiled a 57-30 record, with a 26-17 mark in SEC play. Florida made a first-round NCAA Tournament appearance following the 2023-24 season.

On3’s Andrew Graham and Grant Grubbs also contributed to this report.