Former Stanford football coach Troy Taylor filed a defamation lawsuit against ESPN and reporter Xuan Thai on July 30, 2025, in the Northern District of California. The suit claims ESPN published false statements in a March 19, 2025, article alleging Taylor “bullied and belittled” female athletic staffers, leading to his firing by Stanford GM Andrew Luck six days later. Taylor argues the report misrepresented findings from two confidential Stanford investigations in 2023 and 2024, which he claims did not substantiate gender bias or severe misconduct. The lawsuit alleges ESPN knowingly twisted facts to damage Taylor’s reputation and pressure Stanford to fire him. Taylor, who went 6-18 in two seasons at Stanford, seeks at least $75,000 in damages, claiming the report harmed his coaching career prospects. ESPN has not retracted the story and declined to comment. As a public figure, Taylor must prove “actual malice” to succeed, a high legal bar given ESPN’s reliance on internal reports and multiple sources.
