On Wednesday, former Stanford football coach Troy Taylor released a lengthy statement on the university's decision to fire him earlier this year.
In March, ESPN reported Taylor was subject to two investigations at Stanford after he allegedly "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." Upon release of the report Stanford and Taylor released statements acknowledging the existence of the investigations, with both parties making it clear they were ready to move forward.
A week later, Taylor was fired, with newly-hired GM Andrew Luck saying the program "needed a reset" in the statement announcing the news. Shortly thereafter Luck explained the swift reversal of course as a matter of getting new perspective from new data points, which led him to dismiss Taylor despite the earlier statements from the university.
Less than a month after his firing, Taylor released his own statement specifically laying out why he was the subject of two investigations, why the media's portrayal of his role in the situation is wrong, and announcing that Stanford is paying out his contract because the school fired him without cause.
Below is the full text of the statement:
Taylor, 57, coached Stanford for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He went 3-9 in both seasons at the helm. Previously, Taylor was the head coach at Sacramento State for three years.
