GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The No. 20 ranked Florida Gators, under the scrutiny of an ongoing investigation involving coach Todd Golden, are gearing up for a challenging road game against rival Florida State this Friday night. Both teams come into the matchup with perfect 3-0 records.
Golden expressed his thoughts on the upcoming game, stating, “Honestly, to me, it’s no different than any other road game. We anticipate it being a raucous environment, a crowd that is going to come after us, and we’re going to do everything we can to be prepared to go compete to the best of our abilities.”
However, the atmosphere could be particularly charged for Golden, who is facing serious allegations related to sexual harassment and stalking. He has indicated consideration of potential defamation claims as he navigates these accusations. Despite the pressing nature of the case, Golden refrained from discussing the details during a recent press session.
“I’m not going to comment on absolutely anything in regard to the investigation out of respect to the process,” he stated. “To be clear, I would love to be able to comment on multiple elements of the investigation, but I’m simply not allowed to do so due to confidentiality requirements.”
The Independent Florida Alligator recently reported that the university is looking into accusations against Golden, which encompass sexual harassment, stalking, and cyberstalking involving multiple women, including students. The claims highlight allegations of inappropriate online behavior, such as unwanted sexual propositions on Instagram and sharing explicit content.
Despite the surrounding controversies, Golden received a warm welcome from fans during pregame introductions when Florida faced Grambling State, though it’s expected that the reception will differ in Tallahassee.
“It’s a rivalry game. We definitely expect a lot of heckling and stuff going on,” said guard Will Richard, emphasizing their focus on winning. “We’re there to do a job, so that’s what we’re focused on.”
Richard even expressed a readiness to embrace any taunts from the crowd, remarking, “I hope they say the craziest stuff,” highlighting a team mentality centered around resilience despite the external pressures.
The Gators are set for additional neutral-site games near Orlando during the Thanksgiving period before diving back into their true road schedule, with the next significant away game at Kentucky to kick off SEC play on January 4.
As the season progresses, Golden hopes to have clarity regarding his situation before these upcoming games. However, the weight of these allegations is unlikely to diminish, especially among rival supporters throughout the season.
“We’ve all rallied around him,” Richard noted. “We’ve been stressing it in practice that it’s all about us, just keeping the circle tight and controlling what we can control. The main thing for us is focusing on winning.”