Andrew Luck might be wondering what he’s gotten himself into.
The former Colts quarterback, who shocked the football-following world with a sudden retirement in August 2019, became the G.M. of the Stanford football program last year. And he already has a mess on his hands.
As reported by Xuan Thai of ESPN.com, Stanford has conducted two investigations regarding the conduct of football coach Troy Taylor. The first ended in February 2024, with Taylor signing a warning letter. The second ended in July 2024.
Taylor, per documents obtained by ESPN.com, allegedly “bullied and belittled female athletic staffers, sought to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and repeatedly made ‘inappropriate’ comments to another woman about her appearance.”
An unnamed source told ESPN that Taylor is an “equal opportunity asshole,” but that his behavior more often targeted women.
“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 issued on Wednesday, via ESPN.com. “I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues so that we can achieve success for our football program together.”
Said a school spokesperson in a separate statement: “Stanford believes in upholding the highest standards of behavior in the workplace. . . . The University received complaints regarding Coach Taylor and a third party investigated the matter thoroughly. 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.”
Luck didn’t respond to a request for comment from ESPN.com, even though Luck is Taylor’s immediate supervisor. Luck also served on the committee that hired Taylor in 2022.
Making sure Taylor complies with the school’s expectations becomes one of the most important things Luck will be doing during his first year on the job. And if Taylor in any way fails to act the way the school expects, Luck needs to be ready to initiate immediately the effort to dismiss Taylor.
The controversy adds separate pressure to Taylor’s success, or lack thereof, on the field. Stanford was 3-9 in his first season, and 3-9 last year.
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