Troy Taylor goes after the Worldwide Chief following his Stanford ouster.
The previous head coach of the Cardinal soccer staff has filed a lawsuit in opposition to ESPN and reporter Xuan Thai, alleging that he was defamed in a narrative that preceded his firing in March by Stanford basic supervisor Andrew Luck.
The go well with claims that Thai revealed “repeated defamatory statements about Taylor, understanding full nicely that the statements have been false, for the aim of smearing Taylor's fame and injuring him in his occupation.”
The story in question was revealed by ESPN in mid-March and alleged Taylor “bullied and belittled feminine athletic staffers.”
Within the report, Thai cited two beforehand undisclosed third-party investigations in 2023 and 2024 that arose after “a number of workers filed official complaints concerning Taylor's habits.”
Taylor's go well with additionally referred to as consideration to a follow-up story published in April, a month after his firing, that acknowledged Stanford's preliminary investigation started solely off one grievance and that the investigator discovered “inadequate proof” concerning the grievance.
Although that component is true, as ESPN famous “the investigation was initially launched in response to a single complainant,” the report additionally acknowledged, “The investigation finally included interviews with a minimum of 20 Stanford athletic division staffers concerning 4 allegations in opposition to Taylor.”
Luck, a Stanford legend and two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up, was employed as this system's basic supervisor in November 2024, months earlier than ESPN's preliminary report on Taylor dropped.
The previous Colts quarterback was allegedly aware about some particulars surrounding the Taylor matter earlier than accepting the job, The Athletic previously reported. He didn't take any motion till the ESPN story was revealed.
“It has been clear that sure points of this system want change,” Luck mentioned in March. “Moreover, in latest days, there was important consideration to Stanford investigations in earlier years associated to Coach Taylor. After continued consideration, it's evident to me that our program wants a reset. In session with college management, I now not consider that Coach Taylor is the best coach to guide our soccer program.”
Taylor failed to show Stanford round in his two seasons as head coach, main the Cardinal to woeful 3-9 data in back-to-back seasons.
Previous to his stint with the Cardinal, he led FCS program Sacramento State to playoff appearances in every of his three seasons.
