Stanford has conducted multiple investigations into Troy Taylor's workplace behavior, the first one starting just six months after his hiring, the university acknowledged following an investigation by ESPN.
Hired in December 2022 from Sacramento State, Taylor had garnered enough complaints within his first few months on campus that Stanford contracted Kate Weaver Patterson of KWP Consulting & Mediation to investigate his workplace behavior by the following May.
Patterson conducted more than 30 interviews, which found "found (Taylor) to have a significant blind spot on how his 'direct communication' is received by staff," including a culture that was "not welcoming to women." As ESPN wrote,
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.
Then, last June, Stanford hired Timothy O'Brien out of a Maine-based law firm to conduct a second investigation into Taylor's treatment of subordinates.
The O'Brien report found Taylor unusually disdainful toward Stanford's compliance office, with the majority of his ire directed toward a specific female compliance officer. From ESPN:
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 later wrote that he he had never encountered "this palpable level of animosity and disdain" for a compliance office in his time investigating and advising college athletics departments.
"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 to ESPN. "I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues so that we can achieve success for our football program together."
The Patterson investigation also looked into allegations of inappropriate conduct by longtime senior associate AD Matt Doyle.
"In the summer of 2023, some issues surrounding my performance were brought to my attention. I took those concerns very seriously and have worked diligently on implementing feedback received from that process to support a successful and positive culture," Doyle told ESPN.
Stanford AD Bernard Muir announced last month he will step down at the conclusion of the academic year. In November, the program hired former Cardinal great Andrew Luck to serve as general manager, and included in that announcement that Luck will oversee "all aspects of the Cardinal Football program." Luck was part of the committee that hired Taylor in 2022.
"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," Stanford said in a statement.
