Stanford head football coach Troy Taylor is under scrutiny after reports emerged that he bullied and belittled female staffers.
According to ESPN, which obtained copies of two investigative reports, Taylor harassed female 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.
On Feb. 14, 2024, following a conclusion to the first investigation, Taylor signed a warning letter notifying him that he could be fired if the conduct continued.
In a statement released by Stanford on Wednesday, Taylor said he was using the investigations to improve "how I interact with others."
"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 the 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."
In a separate statement, 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."
ESPN declined to identify anyone named in the reports, as they cited fear of retribution should their identities be revealed.
Timothy O'Brien, senior counsel for the Libby, O'Brien, Kingsley & Champion law firm, conducted the second investigation, which found multiple conduct violations by Taylor and his staff.
O'Brien cited seven Level III violations -- minor infractions under NCAA rules -- from 2022 to 2024, also noting that Taylor was aggressive with him during an interview.
"Under Coach Taylor's leadership, the football program has disregarded or simply not followed NCAA rules that they have been repeatedly and consistently educated on by the Compliance Office," O'Brien wrote.
O'Brien also noted in his report that "while being a head football coach is a stressful role, I do not find any excuse for Coach Taylor's treatment" of the women cited in the investigations.
Taylor reportedly made multiple comments about female staffers' "appearance, smell and interest in football," that they found "inappropriate."
O'Brien stated that Taylor's behavior "is a continuation of the type of conduct that resulted in the Written Warning issued to him" previously. The continued behavior was "causing increasing stress and despair among those impacted," O'Brien added.
