WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

01/17 13:54 CST Florida's Golden rips Title IX confidentiality, says assistant 'will be with us' despite complaint Florida's Golden rips Title IX confidentiality, says assistant 'will be with us' despite complaint By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) --- Florida assistant coach Taurean Green will continue working the men's basketball team despite being accused of sexual assault. Head coach Todd Golden said Green "will be with us" when the fifth-ranked Gators take the court against Texas on Saturday. Golden, who remains the subject of a Title IX investigation himself, also ripped into a process that is supposed to be confidential. "I would suggest people do not rush to judgment based off a headline," Golden said Friday. "For me, I am just frustrated and disappointed that a Title IX mechanism that is created to protect both sides during a situation like this --- that confidentiality and privacy continues to be abused. "So as frustrating and as disappointing and as hard as it is to do, I am going to do what I think I need to do and continue to respect the process, as I have." Golden's comments came one day after ESPN reported that a formal complaint was filed with the school's Title IX office accusing Green of kissing an athletic department employee and trying to put his hand down her pants in March 2024. ESPN reviewed a copy of the complaint. The woman, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, pulled Green's hand away, said no and left. She told ESPN she had never been alone with Green previously and had only exchanged casual greetings with him on campus. The woman said she did not report the alleged incident at the time in part because of Green's status. Green, who won NCAA championships as a player with the Gators in 2006 and 2007, joined the basketball staff in 2022 following a professional basketball career. The woman told ESPN she came forward after Title IX investigators working on Golden's case asked to interview her last fall about Golden's interactions with female athletes. She said that inquiry made her realize there could be concerns about a pattern of behavior. "Yeah. I don't like it," Golden said about how his program is being painted. "But perception is perception. It is not reality. I am in this program every day. I see how our staff acts. I see how our players act. I am proud of what we've done since we've got here. And that's all I can do is keep my head up and keep working." The woman told ESPN she first reported her allegations in mid-December to Florida deputy athletics director Amy Meyers Hass. It came while the university is still investigating a Sept. 27 Title IX complaint against Golden that includes allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking, according to copies of the complaint. The complaint accuses Golden of sending photos and videos of his genitalia, making unwanted sexual advances on Instagram and requesting sexual favors. Title IX is designed to protect students from discrimination, including sexual harassment. Florida outsources its Title IX investigations to Grand River Solutions, a private firm based in California. Golden initially signed a six-year, $18 million contract to take over at Florida and agreed to a two-year extension in March 2024 that will keep him at Florida through the 2029-30 season. His contract prohibits "romantic, amorous and/or sexual relationships between any coach or other employee of the Association and any student athlete or other person subject to the supervision, control and/or authority of such coach or other employee." The contract also says the university can take disciplinary action if the coach acts in a manner "that has an ?adverse effect' or causes an ?adverse reflection,' on the reputation, mission and/or interests" of the athletic department or the university. Golden praised his team for "staying the course and working hard" despite all the distractions. "Obviously, it is not ideal, but at the same time, I think we've done a pretty good job this year of staying the course and keeping winning the main thing with the way we've played and the way we've performed," he said. "I believe we will continue to do that on a day-to-day basis." ___ AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll