Reports: Stanford coach bullied athletics staff

Stanford head football coach Troy Taylor 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, according to documents from a pair of investigations obtained by ESPN.

After the first investigation, Taylor signed a warning letter on Feb. 14, 2024, acknowledging he could be fired if the conduct continued, according to the documents. Additional complaints were documented in a second investigation that ended last July 24, but Taylor remains on the job.

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."

Athletic director Bernard Muir, who recently announced his intention to resign after the current academic year, declined to comment. Andrew Luck, hired last November as Stanford football's general manager, making him Taylor's boss, did not respond to a request for comment. Luck and Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. secretary of state and onetime Stanford provost, served on the committee that hired Taylor in December 2022.

Matt Doyle, senior associate athletics director, also received a warning after the first investigation cited him for inappropriate conduct. Doyle could not immediately be reached Wednesday.

The investigation reports obtained by ESPN are marked "privileged and confidential" and identify more than 20 former and current Stanford athletics staffers who cooperated with independent investigators.

ESPN is not identifying anyone who participated in the investigation, some of whom are quoted in the reports as expressing fear of retribution if their names were divulged. Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity.

The investigations began after multiple employees filed complaints against Taylor for what they called hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as personal attacks, the reports said. The school hired Kate Weaver Patterson, of KWP Consulting & Mediation, to investigate in spring 2023.

The second investigation cited evidence "that this is an ongoing pattern of concerning behavior by Coach Taylor." It was conducted last June and July by Timothy O'Brien, senior counsel for the Libby, O'Brien, Kingsley & Champion law firm in Maine. O'Brien, who has advised several Division I and Power 5 programs, said in his report that he has never encountered "this palpable level of animosity and disdain" for a university compliance office.

"Even during the interview with me, when talking about compliance issues, Coach Taylor's tone was forceful and aggressive," O'Brien wrote.

He called Taylor's treatment of the team's compliance officer "inappropriate, discriminatory on the basis of her sex," saying it had a "significant negative impact" on the staffer. O'Brien concluded that Taylor retaliated against the compliance staffer by "seeking her removal from her assigned duties" after she raised concerns about NCAA rules violations related to illegal practices and player eligibility.

O'Brien outlined possible disciplinary procedures, including termination, under NCAA bylaws if an employee retaliates, "such as intimidating, threatening, or harassing an individual who has raised a claim."

Taylor told investigators he believed he was being personally targeted by the compliance team, but neither investigation supported his assertion. O'Brien determined that the compliance office "took a much more forgiving and tolerant approach than was necessary," according to the documents.

O'Brien cited seven Level III violations -- minor infractions under NCAA rules -- from 2022 to 2024.

"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," he wrote.

Both investigations determined that Taylor's treatment of employees, particularly of women, was inconsistent with Stanford's standards.

One of the sources who spoke with ESPN on condition of anonymity said that, while Taylor is an "equal opportunity a--hole," his behavior more often targeted women.

O'Brien seemingly agreed with that assessment and 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 is entering his third year as Stanford coach after back-to-back 3-9 seasons. Stanford first looked into his conduct in May 2023, just six months after his appointment, when a senior athletic department staffer raised potential gender discrimination issues with Muir, the athletic director.

Patterson, the first investigator, conducted 30 interviews over four months, including with Taylor. While Taylor called his work environment "zero drama," Patterson "found him to have a significant blind spot on how his 'direct communication' is received by staff."

In addition to finding the football culture at Stanford "not welcoming to women," Patterson wrote that the program was not "welcoming to anyone ... who cannot dedicate unrestricted time to the program" regardless of gender.

Patterson cited "belittling comments" Taylor aimed at compliance officers, saying he "expressed inappropriate anger and frustration with staff." The coach would go from "sitting there silently to screaming," a witness stated. In some situations, staffers were "scared to death to talk to him."

"[Taylor] loses his s--- over things that aren't that big of a deal," one person told Patterson.

Even staffers whom Taylor viewed as allies described his behavior as "angry, aggressive and belittling at times," Patterson wrote.

"I think people try to tip-toe and try not to get on his bad side," a source knowledgeable with the situation told ESPN.

Multiple staffers expressed a deep sense of fear of retaliation for reporting issues or cooperating with investigators. According to the documents, Doyle told Patterson that he believed Taylor froze him out of meetings because he agreed to cooperate with the investigation.

Patterson wrote that multiple people complained of Taylor repeatedly having "made inappropriate comments" about a female staffer's "appearance, smell, and interest in football."

Taylor seemed surprised that the comments were inappropriate and "expressed a desire to learn and improve" during a follow-up interview, the documents say. Patterson wrote that she found Taylor to be credible in his belief that his comments were "innocuous, without acknowledging the power and gender dynamics at play."

One of the complainants alleged that Taylor tried to have her removed from her job because of a gender bias. Patterson determined Taylor's actions in that case were not motivated by gender bias.

Patterson determined that both Taylor and Doyle violated university standards. She found that Doyle "treated staff inappropriately and in a way that discourages and/or disrespects them."

It is unclear what, if any, action resulted from the second investigation, which included no allegations against Doyle.

O'Brien launched his investigation June 4 after two new accusers filed complaints against Taylor. Staffers told O'Brien that Taylor was "hostile and aggressive" and "unable to have a productive conversation without losing his temper."

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.

Taylor, 56, was previously the head coach of Sacramento State and was hired by Stanford in December 2022. He replaced David Shaw, who left Stanford after 12 years as head coach. Shaw was also the winningest head coach in Stanford history with a 96-54 record but saw a record that fell to 3-9 during his last two seasons.

ESPN researcher John Mastroberardino contributed to this report.