A pair of investigations found Stanford coach Troy Taylor mistreated female staffers and tried to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after being warned of rule violations, according to documents obtained by ESPN. Taylor also made several “inappropriate” comments about another female’s appearance.
The first investigation ended with a warning letter, signed by Taylor in February 2024, after his first season with the program. A second, in June and July, cited “an ongoing pattern of concerning behavior by Coach Taylor.”
A university statement said “Stanford believes in upholding the highest standards of behavior in the workplace.”
It continued: “The University received complaints regarding Coach Taylor and a third party investigated the matter thoroughly. Last summer, the University took appropriate measures, Coach Taylor received coaching, and he has committed to nurturing the respectful working environment that is essential to the success of all our athletics programs.”
More than 20 former and current female staffers cooperated with investigators, per documents obtained by ESPN. One of the investigators called Taylor’s treatment towards a compliance officer “inappropriate, discriminatory on the basis of her sex,” and that Taylor sought “her removal from her assigned duties” for bringing up minor Level III violations.
“I willingly complied with the investigations, accepted the recommendations that came out of them, and used them as a learning opportunity to grow in leadership and how I interact with others,” Taylor said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues so that we can achieve success for our football program together.”
Stanford first looked into Taylor’s conduct in May 2023, per ESPN, when athletic staffer mentioned potential gender discrimination issues to athletic director Bernard Muir, who is set to resign after the current academic year.
Senior associate athletics director Matt Doyle also received a warning in February 2024 as a result of the first investigation.
“In the summer of 2023, some issues surrounding my performance were brought to my attention,” Doyle told ESPN. “I took those concerns very seriously and have worked diligently on implementing feedback received from that process to support a successful and positive culture.”
Andrew Luck, the team’s GM who was on the committee who hired Taylor, did not respond to a request for comment by ESPN.
Read the full article here