The College of Florida has cleared males’s basketball coach Todd Golden after a four-month Title IX investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking.
The college launched a press release on Monday saying no proof was discovered and ended its investigation.
“The College of Florida takes these issues significantly and works intentionally to make sure that due course of is upheld for everybody,” college spokesman Steve Orlando stated in a press release. “After an intensive investigation that included dozens of interviews over the previous months, the College of Florida has discovered no proof that Todd Golden violated Title IX. The Title IX workplace has closed its investigation.”
Golden beforehand sidestepped possibilities to disclaim the allegations “out of the respect to the method” and threatened authorized motion, presumably in opposition to his publicly unnamed accusers. He additionally lately attacked proceedings which might be speculated to be confidential.
“I’m simply pissed off and disenchanted {that a} Title IX mechanism that’s created to guard either side throughout a scenario like this – that confidentiality and privateness continues to be abused,” Golden stated earlier this month after assistant coach Taurean Inexperienced was accused of sexual assault in one other Title IX case.
The college’s College Athletic Affiliation supported Golden all through the investigation and backed his confidentiality remark following the case’s dismissal.
“The UAA acknowledges the completion of the evaluation,” the UAA stated in a press release. “We take these issues significantly and perceive the necessity for the method to be performed with strict confidentiality and discretion.
“All through this course of, Coach Golden has demonstrated super focus and professionalism, and we commend him for that. Because the Gators transfer ahead, we reaffirm our dedication to selling a championship expertise with integrity.”
The criticism in opposition to Golden accused him of sending photographs and movies of his genitalia, making undesirable sexual advances on Instagram and requesting sexual favors. The Impartial Florida Alligator first reported the allegations in early November.
Title IX is designed to guard college students from discrimination, together with sexual harassment. Florida started outsourcing its Title IX investigations in 2023 to Grand River Options, a non-public agency based mostly in California.
The 39-year-old Golden signed a two-year contract extension final March that included a $1m elevate and introduced his annual wage to $4m. The deal runs by way of the 2029-30 season. He’s 58-31 in three seasons. The Gators are having their greatest season on courtroom in a decade, they usually have gained 18 of their first 20 video games.
Golden’s contract prohibits “romantic, amorous and/or sexual relationships between any coach or different worker of the Affiliation and any scholar athlete or different particular person topic to the supervision, management and/or authority of such coach or different worker.”
It additionally says the college can take disciplinary motion if the coach acts in a fashion “that has an ‘opposed impact’ or causes an ‘opposed reflection,’ on the popularity, mission and/or pursuits” of the athletic division or the college.
The case in opposition to Inexperienced, in the meantime, remains to be ongoing. Inexperienced is accused of kissing an athletic division worker and attempting to place his hand down her pants in March 2024, in response to a criticism reviewed by ESPN. The lady stated she didn’t report the alleged incident on the time partly due to Inexperienced’s standing. Inexperienced, who gained NCAA championships as a participant with the Gators in 2006 and 2007, joined the basketball employees in 2022 after knowledgeable basketball profession.
The lady advised ESPN she got here ahead after Title IX investigators engaged on Golden’s case requested to interview her final fall about Golden’s interactions with feminine athletes. She stated that inquiry made her understand there may very well be issues a few sample of conduct throughout the program.
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