Report: Florida Basketball Assistant Taurean Green Accused of Sexual Assault

Green was named in a complaint filed on Tuesday by a University of Florida athletics department employee.

Nov 7, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators director of player development Taurean Green looks on during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- In the midst of Florida Gators head men's basketball coach Todd Golden's Title IX investigation, one of his assistant coaches has been accused of sexual assault.

Taurean Green, a member of the program's back-to-back national championship teams in 2006 and 2007, was named in a complaint filed by a University of Florida athletics department employee on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Paula Lavigne.

The employee, who asked to remain anonymous over fear of retaliation, accused Green of kissing her and trying to put his hand down her pants in the athletics facilities in March of 2024, the report said. The complaint also says that when the employee pulled Green's hand away and said no, he tried again, and she was able to get away from Green after.

Furthermore, the employee did not report the alleged encounter immediately, she told ESPN, due to Green's status as a two-time national champion as a former player and a current assistant coach, a position he has held since 2022.

The employee first decided to report the incident after being asked to be interviewed by Title IX investigators regarding Golden's interactions with female athletes. Golden is accused of sexual misconduct with allegations of stalking and sexual exploitation, according to a Title IX complaint filed in late September.

Additionally, the employee told ESPN she had first reported the alleged incident in mid-December to UF deputy athletics director Amy Meyers Hass, who did not comment on what immediate action was taken due to confidentiality, Lavigne wrote.

UF spokesperson Steve Orlando has since released a statement regarding the latest allegations to ESPN.

"The law prohibits us from commenting on the existence or status of investigations," he said. "The University of Florida takes these matters seriously and conducts a thorough and deliberate process that ensures due process for everyone."

The accusations against Green alongside the investigation against Golden come in the midst of one of the program's best starts to a season in recent memory. The Gators sit at 15-2 after a one-point loss to Missouri on Tuesday and at No. 5 in the most recent AP Poll.