Todd Golden coaches Florida amid Title IX investigation, declines to comment on complaint

Date:

Share post:


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.

Required reading

(Photo: Matt Pendleton / Imagn Images)



Source link

Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams is a writer and editor. Angeles. She writes about politics, art, and culture for LinkDaddy News.

Recent posts

Related articles

Sabres mailbag: Will Kevyn Adams make a significant trade? Does Trevor Zegras fit?

The Buffalo Sabres started their California road trip with a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings...

Has the expanded College Football Playoff made more games 'matter' down the stretch?

The expanded College Football Playoff is doing exactly what it intended to do, allowing more teams more...

Are the Blues considering a Jim Montgomery reunion? It's not out of the question

Based on the timing of the St. Louis Blues’ announcement last May that Drew Bannister was signing...

Chelsea's Reece James out of Leicester game with hamstring injury

Chelsea captain Reece James has suffered another injury setback after being ruled out of the Premier League...

Geno Auriemma takes over the GOAT mantle, plus Army's CFP dreams

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive...

How Bills' Tyler Bass is getting ready for his next big kick: 'You’re going to go through storms'

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — What are the odds the Buffalo Bills’ season comes down to a Tyler...

Fantasy football brain games: The upside of Tommy DeVito and trust issues with Javonte Williams

This article is all about decision-making and avoiding all the biases that can lead you to make...

What's next for the Warriors at the shooting guard spot after De'Anthony Melton's injury?

SAN FRANCISCO — In the last week, De’Anthony Melton went searching for extra medical advice about his...