Report: Former Stanford coach Troy Taylor files defamation lawsuit against ESPN

Former Stanford coach Troy Taylor has filed a lawsuit against ESPN, The Sacramento Bee reported. He is seeking damages for alleged defamation.

Taylor filed the suit Wednesday in the Northern District Court of California and is seeking a trial. According to the Sacramento Bee, the lawsuit alleges Stanford leaked copies of two confidential university investigations to ESPN. The inquiries centered on Taylor’s interactions with female staffers.

The suit also alleges ESPN and reporter Xuan Thai “made, published, and repeated defamatory statements about Taylor, knowing full well that the statements were false, for the purpose of smearing Taylor’s reputation and injuring him in his profession,” according to the Sacramento Bee.

ESPN published its story in March regarding alleged bullying and belittling of female staffers. Stanford general manager Andrew Luck announced Taylor’s firing six days later.

At the time, ESPN reported multiple Stanford employees filed complaints against Taylor for allegedly “hostile and aggressive behavior” and personal attacks, and the school brought in KWP Consulting and Mediation to investigate in Spring 2023. The second investigation – which was in June and July 2023 – citing evidence that said “this is an ongoing pattern of concerning behavior by Coach Taylor.”

“(ESPN) had the reports in their hands and yet they repeatedly made false statements about the investigatory findings to paint Troy as a misogynistic bully,” said Taylor’s lawyer Paul Salvaty while speaking with the Sacramento Bee. “We are honored to represent Troy and clear his name so he can get back to coaching football.”

While speaking with the Sacramento Bee last month, Taylor denied the report about bullying and said it’s “destroying my reputation.” He also said he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get another coaching job as a result.

Luck, who serves as Stanford’s general manager and reports directly to the athletics director rather than the head football coach, was the one who decided to fire Taylor. In a statement, the Cardinal legend said he came to the conclusion after a detailed assessment of the program.

“Since beginning my role as General Manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program,” Luck said at the time, in part. “It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change.”

Taylor went 3-9 in each of his two seasons, failing to make a bowl game. He was previously the head coach at Sacramento State, where he went 30-8 overall in four seasons before replacing David Shaw after the 2022 season.