close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

    • Florida basketball coach Todd Golden faces Title IX allegations of breach of contract
    asane

    Florida basketball coach Todd Golden faces Title IX allegations of breach of contract

    Online Niel Posted on

    play

    Florida basketball coach Todd Golden confirmed on social media over the weekend that he is the subject of a Title IX investigation that includes allegations of sexual harassment, sexual misconductt, stalking and cyber stalking.

    Golden backed up his statement Monday after Florida Gators‘ 86-62 win over Grambling. In the statement, Golden said he was cooperating with investigators and has been hired a defamation lawyer.

    “I kind of made my statement on Saturday, and obviously I wish I could give you more, but that’s all I can give at this point,” Golden said. “And so any questions about the ongoing investigation, I’m just referring to my statement on Saturday and I apologize that I can’t comment further than that.”

    According to the complaint, obtained by the Gainesville Sun, Golden’s behavior was directed at multiple UF students over the past 12 months. Golden is alleged to have made unwanted advances on social media, asked for sexual favors and sent photos of his genitalia while traveling on his UF duties.

    How the allegations could violate Florida basketball coach Todd Golden’s contract

    Of gold agreed to the terms in March on a two-year contract extension that included a $1 million annual raise for an average salary of $4 million per season. The buyout protection is 65 percent of the remaining value of his deal, which runs through 2030 and would amount to nearly $16 million.

    However, according to Golden’s contract, he could be fired for any number of reasons if the allegations are proven true.

    — A clause in Golden’s contract requires him to comply with all university laws and regulations, “repeated failure on the part of the coach to exercise due care or to comply (other than by committing minor traffic offenses and non-criminal offenses under law) and/or any undertaking and indictment (or plea of ​​guilty or no contest) by the coach to a crime will be a material breach of his agreement. The parties acknowledge that such failure (whether or not prosecuted or enforced or even found by a review of the association). the conviction, indictment and/or plea will have an adverse effect on the reputation, interests and/or missions of UF and such event will undermine the effectiveness of the coach under this agreement or the activities agreement.”

    The term law, according to Golden’s contract, “means any and all ordinances including laws, regulations, rules, directives, written policies, administrative decisions, orders, and constitutions of any official or authorized interpretation thereof and any amendments, supplements, or modifications thereof which are in force at the applicable time.”

    Adherence to the Title IX policy would fall under such guidelines. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding.

    Golden would also be in violation UF Policy on Sexual Harassment if the accusations that he harassed the students turned out to be true. The policy states: “Any University employee or student found to have harassed or discriminated against another employee or applicant for employment or student shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal or expulsion.”

    — A clause in Golden’s employment contract, which pays the bulk of his deal through television and apparel rights, prohibits Golden from acting in a manner that has an “adverse effect” or causes a ” adverse reaction” to the “reputation, mission and/or interests” of the “University Athletic Association” and/or the “media rights holder” – or acting in a manner that “conflicts, interferes with, or is inconsistent with” the “reputation, mission and/or the interests of the UAA, the University , the media rights holder Would be the responsibility of the UF President (Interim President Kent Fuchs) or the Director of Athletics (Scott Stricklin) or the UAA President.

    — There is a moral clause in Golden’s agreement that he must meet “the highest standard of professionalism, competence … personal conduct, ethics, integrity and morality, as such highest standards are established by the UF president or the UAA president, in consultation with the UF sports team. Coach performance reflects and affects the reputation, mission and interests of UAA and UF, which the parties recognize are valuable and intend to protect in the agreement.

    Could UF suspend Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden under his contract

    In 2020, the US Department of Education instituted a rule change that prohibits schools from imposing “disciplinary, punitive, or unreasonably burdensome” sanctions during sexual misconduct investigations. One action the government could find unreasonable was removing a player or coach from a sports team (there are exceptions if the accused is considered a threat to someone’s health or safety). The change was designed to ensure a fair trial for the accused.

    However, there are clauses in Golden’s contract that give UF the power to “take disciplinary action, corrective action and/or terminate this agreement and/or the Activities Agreement and/or impose a suspension on the coach.”

    This power includes any action independent of actions taken by law enforcement, any court and/or other governmental authority, the NCAA, the SEC, and/or any other outside body. “It shall not be required to await the initiation or conclusion of any outside law enforcement, court, government, outside body, NCAA, SEC, other institution of higher education and/or other suit, investigation, inquiry and/or other action.”

    In other words, Florida would not have to wait for the Title IX investigation to conclude if it wanted to suspend Golden.

    So far, Florida has chosen not to suspend Golden, who has coached UF’s three games. The Gators play at Florida State on Friday night. A UF spokesman did not respond to questions about why Golden was not suspended, citing the school’s policy not to comment on ongoing Title IX investigations.

    Kevin Brockway is a staff writer for The Gainesville Sun in Florida. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow X @KevinBrockwayG1

    Online Niel
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like