Stanford 'needs a reset,' fires football HC Taylor
Stanford has fired football coach Troy Taylor amid allegations he mistreated staff members during his two years with the Cardinal.
Stanford fired football coach Troy Taylor, the school announced Tuesday.
The decision comes a week after ESPN reported that two outside firms had found Taylor bullied and belittled female athletic staffers, sought to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and repeatedly made "inappropriate" comments to another woman about her appearance.
According to documents obtained by ESPN, the investigations began after multiple employees filed complaints against Taylor for what they called hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as personal attacks, the reports said. The school hired Kate Weaver Patterson, of KWP Consulting & Mediation, to investigate in spring 2023.
After the first investigation, Taylor signed a warning letter on Feb. 14, 2024, acknowledging he could be fired if the conduct continued, according to the documents. Additional complaints were documented in a second investigation that ended last July 24, but Taylor remained on the job.
The second investigation cited evidence "that this is an ongoing pattern of concerning behavior by Coach Taylor." It was conducted last June and July by Timothy O'Brien, senior counsel for the Libby, O'Brien, Kingsley & Champion law firm in Maine. O'Brien, who has advised several Division I and Power 5 programs, said in his report that he has never encountered "this palpable level of animosity and disdain" for a university compliance office.
"Even during the interview with me, when talking about compliance issues, Coach Taylor's tone was forceful and aggressive," O'Brien wrote.
