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Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck announced his decision to fire head football coach Troy Taylor following accusations of allegedly mistreating female staffers.
Taylor, 56, was reportedly investigated by two outside firms, which found he bullied and belittled female athletic staffers, sought to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after being warned about rules violations and repeatedly made "inappropriate" comments to another woman regarding her appearance, ESPN reports. Luck, 35, a former Stanford and NFL quarterback, confirmed his decision on Tuesday (March 25), which was his first major move since taking over the general manager role at his alma matter.
"Since beginning my role as General Manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program. 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," Luck said in a statement shared on Stanford Athletics' official website. "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. A search for new coaching leadership in football has begun, and an acting coach may be named for the 2025 season. Our focus remains on supporting our student-athletes and ensuring they have the best possible experience on the field, in the classroom, and on campus with their peers."
It's unclear whether Stanford will have to pay out the remainder of Taylor's contract following his termination. Taylor went 6-18 during two seasons at Stanford, posting 3-9 records in 2023 and 2024.
Luck, who spent his entire NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts, announced his sudden retirement at the age of 29 days before the 2019 season. The former No. 1 overall pick was a four-time Pro Bowl selection (2012-14, 2018) and finished his NFL career with a 53-33 record as a starter and 23,671 yards, 171 touchdowns and 83 interceptions on 2,000 of 3,290 passing (60.8% completions), as well as 1,590 yards and 14 touchdowns on 332 rushing attempts.