Florida will allow assistant coach Taurean Green to continue in his role after it was revealed in a Title IX investigation that he faces a sexual assault allegation.
The Gators, ranked No. 5 in the AP poll this week, host Texas on Saturday. Head coach Todd Golden said Green will be with the team for that game.
“I would suggest people do not rush to judgment based off a headline,” Golden told reporters 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 himself has been the subject of an investigation, with multiple women having accused him of sexually harassing and stalking female students at Florida. He’s continued to coach since the complaint was filed in September; it was first reported on publicly in November, soon after the basketball season had begun.
Green’s accuser told ESPN that she chose to come forward after she was asked by investigators to participate in an interview about Golden’s conduct.
The woman said that Green arranged a meeting with him inside a Florida athletic facility, where he kissed her and attempted to put his hand down her pants, ESPN reported Thursday. After she told him no, Green allegedly tried again before she was able to get away.
The woman said that prior to the incident, she and Green had only “exchanged casual greetings.”
Green, 38, played basketball at Florida and was on the teams that won the 2006 and 2007 national titles. After playing 17 games in the NBA in 2007-08, he had a lengthy playing career overseas and came back to Florida in 2022 as a director of player development. He was promoted to an assistant coach role in 2023.
Florida’s Title IX investigations are still ongoing.
–Field Level Media
