After his twelfth season with the football program, Stanford Sports Performance Director and 2014 Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Shannon Turley has been fired, according to a University statement shared on Monday.
Stanford placed Turley on administrative leave in February but gave no public reason for its decision. The Bootleg reports that the decision was made after a former Stanford athlete brought forth complaints about Turley.
After firing Turley, the University has continued to withhold the reasoning behind its decision.
“Coach Shannon Turley no longer works at Stanford,” wrote Football Communications Director Scott Swegan in an email to The Daily. “As this is a personnel matter, we will not be providing further information.”
Turley was in his seventh year as Sports Performance Director, overseeing “sports performance training for each of Stanford’s 36 varsity teams,” according to his Stanford Athletics biography.
“It was 100 percent the University’s decision” and not that of the football team, several anonymous football players told The Daily after head football coach David Shaw informed the team of Turley’s leave in February.
It is unclear whether the termination of Turley’s job is related to his coaching. Announcement of his leave came less than two months after the conclusion of the Cardinal’s football season. In an August interview with Rivals, Turley said “a positive summer” had taken place in 2018.
“The guys have grown a lot,” he said. “It was a helpful time for the leadership to emerge.”
Turley’s conditioning initiatives in the Stanford football program have dramatically reduced player injury rates. From 2006-13, there was an 87 percent decrease in the number of games missed because of injury on Stanford’s roster. Turley joined the football program in 2007.
In light of this progress, the National Strength and Conditioning Association named Turley its 2014 Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. The honor was awarded to Turley in 2013.
Turley was reportedly informed of his firing last Wednesday. He has not responded to The Daily’s request for comment.
Contact Holden Foreman at hs4man21 ‘at’ stanford.edu.