Following the first investigation, in 2023, Taylor was warned that he could be fired if the conduct continued, according to an ESPN report. It did continue, with a second investigation a year later. But Taylor remained employed and coached the Cardinal to a second consecutive 3-9 season.

Stanford fired football coach Troy Taylor on Tuesday, less than a week after an ESPN report revealed that Taylor had twice been the subject of third-party investigations into complaints from athletic department employees over hostile behavior.

Luck moved quickly in his new role as general manager of the football program, hiring Reich less than a week after making the decision to fire Taylor following a report that became public saying Taylor had been investigated twice for allegedly mistreating staffers.