Florida basketball coach Todd Golden faces sexual harassment charges – report | College basketball

Several women have accused Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden of sexually harassing female students, the school’s student newspaper reported Friday.

Alligator, citing Title IX documents filed Sept. 27, said it was accused of possible violations of the school’s equal opportunity policy. These include sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking of Florida students over the past year.

A Florida spokesman declined to comment to the student press, and the university had not issued a statement as of early Friday afternoon.

According to the report, Golden “sent photos and videos of his genitals while traveling for UF,” used social media to make sexual advances and ask for sexual favors, and stalked women. He is said to have taken photos of women and then sent them the pictures, and he is also said to have visited places where he knew he could find the same women.

The Alligator interviewed two women who said they had complained about Golden, and they confirmed the Title IX documents.

They said Golden followed numerous women on social media and then unfollowed them to avoid suspicion, and one of them said his reach with women was enormous. Before games, he told many women that they were “his drug” or “his lucky charm,” she said.

“He just used these manipulation tactics on everyone,” the woman told The Alligator. “And he sent us anyway [messages]. It was copy-paste for every girl.”

Golden, 39, was hired on March 18, 2022 as the 20th head coach in Gators history. He came from San Francisco, where he led the Dons to a 57-36 record in three seasons, including two 20-win seasons and their first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than two decades.

Before San Francisco, he worked under coach Bruce Pearl at Auburn.

Last season, in his second season with the Gators, Golden led the team to 24 wins, a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the SEC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2014.

The No. 21 Gators are 2-0 this season and are idle until Monday, when they face Grambling State.

Golden is married and has a young son and daughter.