Drain The Swamp: Florida Athletics In Shambles As AD, Football & Basketball Coaches Need To Go | Trey Wallace

There's nothing about the job Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin has done over the past eight years that should give the school confidence that he should be able to hire another Gators coach. 

In what has been one of the wildest weeks in recent memory for the Florida athletic department, Stricklin released a letter on Thursday proclaiming his support for football coach Billy Napier, one day before the story on Florida head basketball coach Todd Golden being investigated for sexual harassment and stalking was published. An allegation that Florida was made aware of in September when a Title IX complaint was officially filed. 

If you think that was just a coincidence, I have some oceanfront property in Kentucky I'd love to sell you. 

There has been numerous events during the tenure of Stricklin as athletic director that makes you wonder if he's capable of hiring another coach, for any sport, that will not end up with some type of baggage that makes the university second-guess the decision. 

To be fair, we have seen Stricklin do numerous things that have benefited the school, like fundraising, getting the baseball stadium done, which created room for a standalone football facility, along with helping to produce funds for other sports around campus. Sure, he's a good fundraiser and can get things done from a financial standpoint, but that's not enough. 

How Many Hires Is Scott Stricklin Going To Be Allowed To Make? 

When you look at the copious amount of problems that have plagued athletic programs around campus, you have to wonder how many hires Stricklin can make before it's time to relive him of those powers. 

Maybe it was a good thing that he put out a statement on Thursday proclaiming that Billy Napier will be returning in 2025. Though there were enough Florida fans on social media second-guessing that decision as the Gators trailed Texas by as many as 42 points on Saturday.

But it felt as though the football program was put on the backburner Friday afternoon when the Florida student newspaper, ‘The Alligator’, released a damning story about basketball coach Todd Golden. The paper received an anonymous email earlier in the week, with documents attached from the Title IX complaint that was filed against Golden in September. 

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Todd Golden of the Florida Gators looks on after a game against the South Florida Bulls at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on November 04, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The allegations were damning and disgusting. Golden has been accused of sexual harassment, stalking, sending photos of his genitalia to female students and cyberstalking. 

"At first, it starts off slow, like, ‘Oh, wow. That’s odd. This guy is showing us attention,’" the Alligator reported from one female. "And then it becomes, ‘Wow, he’s kind of crossing a line. No, he didn’t mean it that way.’ Then it’s, ‘Wait, he’s fully stepping over that line.’ And then it’s, ‘Wow, there’s a picture of his d*ck.’ It was a full grooming process with all of us."

And due to the fact that this is an ongoing investigation, the school has gone dark when it comes to commenting on the matter. Maybe that's a reason why they released the statement on Billy Napier Thursday, knowing that it would look very awkward to not comment on basketball, but then release a statement on the football coach. 

The Coaching Carousel Is Just A Pattern, No Matter The Reason

But all of this nonsense is a pattern, where multiple coaches have either ‘resigned’ or been fired in recent years for incidents that occurred off the field. 

Former soccer coach Tony Amato was fired in April of 2022 after just one season on the job. There were allegations that Amato pressured his players regarding their eating habits, along with other verbal abuse. 

Then, a few months later, women's basketball coach Cam Newbauer ‘resigned’ after players came forward with complaints that he verbally abused the team, made racist remarks, along with throwing basketballs players during practice. 

The school called it a resignation, but multiple sources told OutKick at the time that it was either that, or be fired. At the time of the firing, Scott Stricklin released a statement that read in part "It is our responsibility to provide a championship experience with integrity, along with the necessary support, for Gators student-athletes and staff". 

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 14:Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and Florida Gators Athletic Director Scott Stricklin talk during the gator walk before a college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators on September 14th, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

So, when you look at the situation now with Todd Golden, and even Billy Napier, you have to start questioning the ability of Scott Stricklin to hire new coaches. The problem is that the university has an interim president, and there are some decisions that have to be made at the highest level first. 

In this case, Billy Napier might be a problem for the football program, but Scott Stricklin has much bigger fish to fry when it comes to the ongoing investigation into the head basketball coach. 

There's nothing about the current situation inside the Gators athletic department, with a number of sports, that makes sense. According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, one of the key issues regarding the Napier decision was the timing of hiring a new coach, with the college football playoff and the transfer portal calendar playing a factor. 

But, it might've been the best thing to happen for Florida fans on Thursday when Stricklin was allowed to release that statement proclaiming Napier will be back next season. Until Florida's interim President finds a backbone to make a change at Athletic Director, or a new President makes that decision, it would have been Stricklin leading his third football coaching search in seven years, and he's done nothing to give Florida fans confidence that the third time would be a charm. 

Some blessings come in different disguises.