Taylor's issue in filing the complaint against ESPN isn't with Stanford. Taylor's overriding concern is how media outlets across the country used ESPN's reporting to label him as bullying and belittling women, which he said is a smear on his reputation.

Former Stanford head football coach Troy Taylor filed a lawsuit against ESPN and reporter Xuan Thai on Wednesday for defamation, alleging that multiple articles about how the university investigated the coach's behavior influenced the decision to fire him in March.