Xuan ThaiMar 19, 2025, 05:11 PM ET
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- Xuan Thai is a senior creator and manufacturer in ESPN’s investigative and undertaking unit. She used to be prior to now deputy bureau leader of the south area for NBC Information.
Stanford head soccer trainer Troy Taylor bullied and belittled feminine athletic staffers, sought to have an NCAA compliance officer got rid of after she warned him of regulations violations and many times made “beside the point” feedback to every other lady about her look, in line with paperwork from a couple of investigations received via ESPN.
After the primary investigation, Taylor signed a caution letter on Feb. 14, 2024, acknowledging he may well be fired if the habits persevered, in line with the paperwork. Further lawsuits had been documented in a 2d investigation that ended closing July 24, however Taylor stays at the process.
In a observation launched via Stanford on Wednesday, Taylor mentioned he used to be the use of the investigations to strengthen “how I engage with others.”
“I willingly complied with the investigations, authorized the suggestions that got here out of them, and used them as a finding out alternative to develop in management and the way I engage with others,” Taylor mentioned within the observation. “I sit up for proceeding to paintings collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues in order that we will be able to reach good fortune for our soccer program in combination.”
In a separate observation, a college spokesperson mentioned, “Stanford believes in upholding the best requirements of conduct within the administrative center.”
“The College gained lawsuits relating to Trainer Taylor and a 3rd birthday celebration investigated the subject totally. Remaining summer time, the College took suitable measures, Trainer Taylor gained training, and he has dedicated to nurturing the respectful operating atmosphere that is very important to the good fortune of all our athletics methods.”
Athletic director Bernard Muir, who just lately introduced his aim to surrender after the present instructional 12 months, declined to remark. Andrew Good fortune, employed closing November as Stanford soccer’s common supervisor, making him Taylor’s boss, didn’t reply to a request for remark. Good fortune and Condoleezza Rice, the previous U.S. secretary of state and onetime Stanford provost, served at the committee that employed Taylor in December 2022.
Matt Doyle, senior affiliate athletics director, additionally gained a caution after the primary investigation cited him for beside the point habits. He informed ESPN in a observation: “In the summertime of 2023, some problems surrounding my efficiency had been delivered to my consideration. I took the ones considerations very significantly and feature labored diligently on imposing comments gained from that procedure to strengthen a a success and sure tradition.”
The investigation reviews received via ESPN are marked “privileged and confidential” and determine greater than 20 former and present Stanford athletics staffers who cooperated with unbiased investigators.
ESPN isn’t figuring out somebody who participated within the investigation, a few of whom are quoted within the reviews as expressing concern of retribution if their names had been divulged. Two resources with direct wisdom of the placement spoke to ESPN on situation of anonymity.
The investigations started after more than one workers filed lawsuits in opposition to Taylor for what they known as adverse and competitive conduct, in addition to non-public assaults, the reviews mentioned. The college employed Kate Weaver Patterson, of KWP Consulting & Mediation, to analyze in spring 2023.
The second one investigation cited proof “that that is an ongoing trend of relating to conduct via Trainer Taylor.” It used to be performed closing June and July via Timothy O’Brien, senior recommend for the Libby, O’Brien, Kingsley & Champion regulation company in Maine. O’Brien, who has recommended a number of Department I and Energy 5 methods, mentioned in his record that he hasn’t ever encountered “this palpable degree of animosity and disdain” for a college compliance place of work.
“Even all over the interview with me, when speaking about compliance problems, Trainer Taylor’s tone used to be forceful and competitive,” O’Brien wrote.
He known as Taylor’s remedy of the staff’s compliance officer “beside the point, discriminatory at the foundation of her intercourse,” announcing it had a “important destructive have an effect on” at the staffer. O’Brien concluded that Taylor retaliated in opposition to the compliance staffer via “in search of her removing from her assigned tasks” after she raised considerations about NCAA regulations violations associated with unlawful practices and participant eligibility.
O’Brien defined conceivable disciplinary procedures, together with termination, underneath NCAA bylaws if an worker retaliates, “akin to intimidating, threatening, or harassing a person who has raised a declare.”
Taylor informed investigators he believed he used to be being individually focused via the compliance staff, however neither investigation supported his statement. O’Brien decided that the compliance place of work “took a a lot more forgiving and tolerant manner than used to be important,” in line with the paperwork.
O’Brien cited seven Degree III violations — minor infractions underneath NCAA regulations — from 2022 to 2024.
“Below Trainer Taylor’s management, the soccer program has dismissed or just no longer adopted NCAA regulations that they have got been many times and constantly trained on via the Compliance Place of work,” he wrote.
Each investigations decided that Taylor’s remedy of workers, specifically of ladies, used to be inconsistent with Stanford’s requirements.
One of the vital resources who spoke with ESPN on situation of anonymity mentioned that, whilst Taylor is an “equivalent alternative a–hole,” his conduct extra ceaselessly focused ladies.
O’Brien reputedly agreed with that review and famous in his record that “whilst being a head soccer trainer is a disturbing function, I don’t to find any excuse for Trainer Taylor’s remedy” of the ladies cited within the investigations.
Taylor is getting into his 3rd 12 months as Stanford trainer after back-to-back 3-9 seasons. Stanford first appeared into his habits in Might 2023, simply six months after his appointment, when a senior athletic division staffer raised possible gender discrimination problems with Muir, the athletic director.
Patterson, the primary investigator, performed 30 interviews over 4 months, together with with Taylor. Whilst Taylor known as his paintings atmosphere “0 drama,” Patterson “discovered him to have a vital blind spot on how his ‘direct conversation’ is gained via workforce.”
Along with discovering the soccer tradition at Stanford “no longer welcoming to girls,” Patterson wrote that this system used to be no longer “welcoming to somebody … who can’t devote unrestricted time to this system” irrespective of gender.
Patterson cited “belittling feedback” Taylor aimed toward compliance officials, announcing he “expressed beside the point anger and frustration with workforce.” The trainer would cross from “sitting there silently to screaming,” a witness mentioned. In some scenarios, staffers had been “scared to loss of life to speak to him.”
“[Taylor] loses his s— over issues that are not that massive of a deal,” one individual informed Patterson.
Even staffers whom Taylor considered as allies described his conduct as “indignant, competitive and belittling every now and then,” Patterson wrote.
“I feel folks attempt to tip-toe and take a look at to not get on his dangerous facet,” a supply a professional with the placement informed ESPN.
More than one staffers expressed a deep sense of concern of retaliation for reporting problems or cooperating with investigators. Consistent with the paperwork, Doyle informed Patterson that he believed Taylor iced over him out of conferences as a result of he agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
Patterson wrote that more than one folks complained of Taylor many times having “made beside the point feedback” a couple of feminine staffer’s “look, odor, and hobby in soccer.”
Taylor appeared shocked that the feedback had been beside the point and “expressed a want to be informed and strengthen” all over a follow-up interview, the paperwork say. Patterson wrote that she discovered Taylor to be credible in his trust that his feedback had been “risk free, with out acknowledging the ability and gender dynamics at play.”
One of the vital complainants alleged that Taylor attempted to have her got rid of from her process as a result of a gender bias. Patterson decided Taylor’s movements if that’s the case weren’t motivated via gender bias.
Patterson decided that each Taylor and Doyle violated college requirements. She discovered that Doyle “handled workforce inappropriately and in some way that daunts and/or disrespects them.”
It’s unclear what, if any, motion resulted from the second one investigation, which incorporated no allegations in opposition to Doyle.
O’Brien introduced his investigation June 4 after two new accusers filed lawsuits in opposition to Taylor. Staffers informed O’Brien that Taylor used to be “adverse and competitive” and “not able to have a productive dialog with out dropping his mood.”
O’Brien mentioned that Taylor’s conduct “is a continuation of the kind of habits that resulted within the Written Caution issued to him” prior to now. The continuing conduct used to be “inflicting expanding rigidity and melancholy amongst the ones impacted,” O’Brien added.
Taylor, 56, used to be prior to now the pinnacle trainer of Sacramento State and used to be employed via Stanford in December 2022. He changed David Shaw, who left Stanford after 12 years as head trainer. Shaw used to be additionally the winningest head trainer in Stanford historical past with a 96-54 report however noticed a report that fell to 3-9 all over his closing two seasons.
ESPN researcher John Mastroberardino contributed to this record.
