Stanford has fired coach Troy Taylor less than a week after it was revealed that university investigations found he mistreated female staffers, according to documents obtained by ESPN. The decision was announced by general manager Andrew Luck on Tuesday.
Taylor received a warning for his conduct in February 2024. In June and July, Taylor was cited in a second investigation for “an ongoing pattern of concerning behavior by Coach Taylor.”
“After continued consideration it is evident to me that our program needs a reset,” Luck said in a statement. “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.”
Taylor posted a 6-18 record in two seasons with the program after coming to Palo Alto after a successful run at Sacramento State. He lost eight of last nine games, including a 34-31 matchup against San Jose State on Black Friday.
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.
Here’s Luck’s full statement, via Stanford:
I took the role of Stanford Football General Manager with a strong vision for building a new winning era for our football program. Stanford has always set the standard for excellence with our university’s unique leadership in both athletics and academics, and I have no doubt that our program’s best days lie ahead.
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. A search for new coaching leadership in football has begun, and an acting coach may be named for the 2025 season. Our focus remains on supporting our student-athletes and ensuring they have the best possible experience on the field, in the classroom, and on campus with their peers.
I thank Coach Taylor for his contributions to our team and the hard work he put into the program. I wish him and his family well moving forward.
Stanford University is my home, and I am so excited to support our players in competing at the highest level and developing as young adults. We have powerful traditions, incredible student-athletes, and a vision for the future that demonstrates our strong potential as a program. This vision includes an emphasis on a positive, winning, and inclusive culture. I am confident that we will return Stanford to the top echelon of college football.
The timing and circumstance aside, Taylor’s firing is mostly unique in that it was done by the program’s general manager, rather than the athletics director, as Luck is the rare general manager to be the top-down boss of the entire football program.
