In his first major act as Stanford football’s new general manager, Andrew Luck announced Tuesday morning that he has fired head football coach Troy Taylor after two investigations revealed a pattern of bullying behavior — particularly toward women on staff.
According to a March 19 report by ESPN, multiple employees filed complaints against Taylor, the first coming in May 2023, just six months after he came to Stanford from Sacramento State.
Taylor went 3-9 in each of his seasons leading the Cardinal.
Stanford hired Luck, the school’s former star quarterback, after the 2024 season to oversee the program that built him into one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL before his abrupt retirement in 2019.
“Since beginning my role as general manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program,” Luck wrote in a statement. “It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change. Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to Coach Taylor.
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“After continued consideration it is evident to me that our program needs a reset. In consultation with university leadership I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program. Coach Taylor has been informed today and the change is effective immediately.”
Luck said that he has begun the search for the next coach but that an interim head coach may be named for the upcoming 2025 season.
ESPN cited documents that said Taylor tried to remove an NCAA compliance officer after she warned him of seven rules violations and made repeated “inappropriate” comments to another woman regarding her appearance. On Feb. 14, 2024, Taylor signed a warning letter that acknowledged he could be fired if his conduct continued, according to ESPN.
Additional complaints were filed, but Taylor remained on the job until Tuesday.
“Stanford University is my home,” Luck wrote, “and I am so excited to support our players in competing at the highest level and developing as young adults. We have powerful traditions, incredible student-athletes, and a vision for the future that demonstrates our strong potential as a program. This vision includes an emphasis on a positive, winning, and inclusive culture. I am confident that we will return Stanford to the top echelon of college football.”