Stanford led multiple probes into Troy Taylor's workplace conduct: report

Two investigations found Taylor fostered a hostile environment in the Stanford football office.

Stanford led investigations that found head football coach Troy Taylor fostered a hostile work environment, according to a new report. / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Stanford led multiple investigations into the workplace behavior of head football coach Troy Taylor, including that one began just six months into his tenure, according to ESPN.

Taylor had garnered enough complaints within his first few months on campus that Stanford contracted with a consulting firm to investigate his workplace conduct in May.

The firm conducted more than 30 interviews which claimed Taylor had a “significant blind spot on how his ‘direct communication’ is received by staff,” according to its findings.

Kate Weaver Patterson of KWP Consulting & Mediation cited “belittling comments” made by Taylor towards compliance officers and that he expressed “inappropriate anger and frustration” with those around him.

Some staff were “scared to death to talk to him,” the firm said.

“Taylor loses his sh-t over things that aren’t that big of a deal,” one person told Patterson.

Stanford engaged another firm, a law firm based in Maine, whose results indicated that Taylor was “unusually disdainful toward Stanford’s compliance office, with the majority of his ire directed toward a specific female compliance officer.”

The firm called Taylor’s treatment of the officer “inappropriate, discriminatory on the basis of sex” and that it had a “significant negative impact” on her.

The author of the second report claimed that he never came across “this palpable level of animosity and disdain” for a compliance office in his time advising college athletic 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 through Stanford.

He added: “I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues so that we can achieve success for our football program together.”

Stanford issued a statement in which it acknowledged the complaints against Taylor and that he was working to resolve the issue.

“The University received complaints regarding Coach Taylor and a third party investigated the matter thoroughly,” the school said.

“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.”

(ESPN)

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