Todd Golden sexual assault charges: Florida coach considering legal action after Title IX investigation
University of Florida coach Todd Golden released a statement on Saturday about the active Title IX investigation against him for alleged sexual harassment and stalking. The two-year coach for the Gators posted the statement in response to an article published by The Independent Florida Alligator.
In an X post on Saturday, Golden stated that he is seeking assistance from legal counsel to file potential defamation claims while the confidential investigation is still in progress.
"For the last month, I have actively participated in and respected the confidentiality of an ongoing school inquiry," Todd Golden wrote in his statement. "I have recently engaged Ken Turkel to advise me on my ability to bring defamation claims while this confidential investigation is ongoing.
"My family and I appreciate the support we have received and remain confident the university will continue its efforts to finish its review promptly."
The article, written by Jack Meyer and Max Tucker, was published on Friday in the student-run newspaper.
The write-up remarked that an undefined number of women filed the formal complaint on Sept. 27, accusing the coach of violating the Gender Equity Policy.
Details of Todd Golden's alleged activities
The formal complaint against the 39-year-old coach reports that he has made "unwanted sexual advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors, sending photos and videos of his genitalia while traveling for UF and various occasions of stalking."
An anonymous Florida student alleged that Todd Golden stalked her both on foot and in his car and apparently sent her unsolicited photos of his genitalia while the team was traveling on road games.
"At first, it starts off slow, like, 'Oh, wow. That’s odd. This guy is showing us attention.' And then it becomes, ‘Wow, he’s kind of crossing a line. No, he didn’t mean it that way.’ Then it’s, ‘Wait, he’s fully stepping over that line.’ And then it’s, ‘Wow, there’s a picture of his d*ck.’ It was a full grooming process with all of us," The Independent Florida Alligator reported.
Another former female UF student, who also wanted to remain anonymous, claimed that Golden liked her Instagram posts dating back to 2023. She further alleged that Golden liked multiple posts at once, supposedly made to get her attention before going back and unliking them to avoid suspicion.
Snoopreport, a publicly accessible software that tracks Instagram activity, also revealed that Golden unfollowed 118 accounts from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1.
At least 20 of the said accounts reportedly belong to young women without connection to the Florida Gators or other affiliations previously held by Todd Golden.
The University of Florida administration refused to comment to the student newspaper, citing federal law that prevents them from confirming or commenting on Title IX processes.