Stanford football coach Troy Taylor fired following alleged mistreatment of staff
Stanford fired football coach Troy Taylor following a report last week that he had been investigated twice for allegedly mistreating staffers.
General manager Andrew Luck announced the decision on Tuesday in his first major move since taking over in his role running the entire football program.
Luck released a statement on the move Tuesday morning that read, in part:
"Since beginning my role as General Manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program. It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change. Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to Coach Taylor."
"After continued consideration it is evident to me that our program needs a reset. In consultation with university leadership I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program. Coach Taylor has been informed today and the change is effective immediately."
Luck went on to say the search for a new head coach had already begun and "an acting coach may be named for the 2025 season."
ESPN reported last week that Taylor had been investigated twice since taking over before the 2023 season over allegations of hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as personal attacks, against female staff members.
Taylor signed a warning letter on Feb. 14, 2024, following the first investigation acknowledging he could be fired if the conduct continued, according to the documents obtained by ESPN. Additional complaints were documented in a second investigation that ended July 24, but Taylor remains on the job.
"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 released by the school. "I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues so that we can achieve success for our football program together."
A statement from a university spokesperson said, "Stanford believes in upholding the highest standards of behavior in the workplace."
"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."
The Cardinal went 3-9 in each of Taylor's two seasons as coach. He was hired by Stanford in 2022 after a successful stint as the head coach at Sacramento State.
