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UF basketball coach faces sexual harassment and stalking charges

Florida men's basketball head coach Todd Golden has been accused of sexual harassment and stalking by an unspecified number of women, according to Title IX documents obtained by The Alligator.

The University of Florida received a formal Title IX complaint on Golden Sept. 27 alleging he engaged in various conduct that may have violated UF's gender equity policy.

To comply with federal law, UF cannot comment on or confirm Title IX inquiries, complaints or investigations, according to a UF spokesperson.

The formal Title IX complaint against Golden, obtained by The Alligator, includes allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking. The complaint alleges that Golden targeted UF students with these behaviors over a year.

The allegations of sexual harassment, which could include sexual exploitation, included sending photos and videos of his genitals while traveling for UF, making unwanted sexual advances on Instagram, asking for sexual favors and various stalking opportunities.

There was allegedly more than one occasion where Golden took photos of women walking or driving and sent those images to the people involved. During various stalking incidents, Golden also showed up at locations where he knew the women would be.

Golden allegedly approached women on Instagram on more than one occasion by liking photos and then waiting until they read the direct message before liking the photos so as not to arouse suspicion.

The UF men's basketball coaching staff did not respond in time for publication.

The Alligator spoke to two different women who confirmed Golden's behavior and asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. Little action has been taken by UF since the investigation began, both women said.

The first woman, a former UF student, said that Golden personally stalked her, both in his car and on foot, and that this happened “more than 10 times.” At one point, she said she posted her location on her Instagram Story, and Golden texted her shortly after that he was in the area and “waiting for her.” [her].”

She also said Golden sent her unsolicited photos of his genitals. The first woman said several times that she received the photos while the team was traveling. The nature of Golden's alleged stalking became clearer over time, she said.

“At first it starts slow and goes, ‘Oh, wow. That's strange. “This guy is paying attention to us,” the first woman said. “And then it becomes like, ‘Wow, he’s kind of crossing a line. No, he didn't mean it like that.' Then it's like, 'Wait, he's completely crossing that line.' And then it's like, 'Wow, there's a picture of his cock.' It was a comprehensive grooming process for all of us.”

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Both the first woman and the second woman, also a former UF student, confirmed that Golden liked her Instagram posts from 2023, sometimes even older. Additionally, they said he liked several posts at once, ostensibly to get women's attention before going back and not liking them to avoid suspicion.

“He would go to such great lengths,” the first woman said. “He went back, like a year ago, and liked ten photos at once. Then, obviously, [he] This was followed by a direct message, always in disappearing mode…Really aggressive Instagram stalking is the best way to put it.”

Golden had been in contact with both women for more than a year before unfollowing them after they were told that UF had begun investigating his behavior last August, they said.

According to Snoopreport, a publicly available Instagram activity tracking software, Golden unfollowed 118 accounts on the platform between August 1 and September 1. At least 20, if not more, of these accounts appear to have been young women with no connection to the Florida basketball program or any other organization with which Golden was previously associated. The women separately confirmed that Golden had blocked rather than unfollowed them.

The second woman said Golden told numerous women before games that they were “his drug” or “his lucky charm.”

“He just used this manipulation tactic on everyone,” she said. “And he sent us all the same shit. It had to be copied and pasted for each girl.”

Both women also allege that UF special assistant Ralphie Ferrari and UF director of basketball strategy and analysis Jonathan Safir were involved in and knew about Golden's misconduct. Neither man was mentioned in the Title IX complaint. Neither responded to a comment.

The first woman said this misconduct goes beyond Golden. She said she believes there is a culture of sexual harassment on Florida's coaching staff that has only grown since he arrived in Gainesville more than two years ago.

“I think it’s just a damn joke that all of them within this organization, all of the coaches, do this,” she said. “They're probably getting away with showing each other the pictures… There's something damned going on.”

Contact Jack Meyer and Max Tucker at [email protected] And [email protected]. Follow them on X @jackmeyerUF and @Max_Tuckr1.

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Jack Meyer

Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism student and assistant sports editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games, and going to the gym.

Max Tucker

Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After receiving his AA in journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he decided to pursue further education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently completing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in Sports and Media. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and going to the beach with his friends.

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