50 Voices Rally Behind Kathy Taylor as Championship Coach Breaks Silence on Lawsuit Allegations

For years, women’s lacrosse coach Kathy Taylor let the headlines speak for her. This week, she decided to speak for herself.

The longtime coach — whose three-decade career includes national titles, Hall of Fame inductions and leadership roles among her peers — is publicly responding for the first time to allegations of abuse raised in a December 2025 lawsuit filed by former Colgate University player Amelia Cunningham against the university. Although Taylor was not named as a defendant, the allegations put her coaching under the microscope.

Now, 50 former players, assistant coaches and parents spanning four programs have issued testimonials defending her character and coaching style, directly disputing claims outlined in the complaint. In a statement, Taylor addressed what she describes as years of media coverage that treated allegations as fact.

“I stayed quiet when these allegations first surfaced — not because I had anything to hide. I was told not to speak because of the investigation, and I wanted to protect the players, the staff, and the program I cared deeply about. I believed the truth would be enough to set the record straight. I was wrong. The false allegations were reprinted as fact — over and over, for years — while I kept my head down, tried to reassure my players, protect my staff, and build something that mattered. Colgate’s own five-month investigation cleared me. They didn’t just retain me — they extended my contract. And still, not a single outlet bothered to report that. The fiction was more convenient than the truth.”

According to materials released alongside the testimonials, Colgate conducted a five-month investigation that included more than 30 interviews and ultimately cleared Taylor. University email records also showed that Taylor contacted Athletic Director Nikki Moore to request mental health resources for the team in April 2022, seven months before Cunningham’s November suicide attempt.

“I will no longer sit by while my three-decade career built on integrity, accountability, and genuine care is rewritten by a lawsuit that conflates demanding coaching with abuse,” Taylor said. “I have always coached with high expectations because I believed in my players' potential – because that is what they deserved. A coach who would push them further than they thought they could go. A coach who would tell them the truth when it was hard to hear. A coach who showed up every single day for thirty years because this work meant everything to me. That is my legacy – and no lawsuit and no headline will erase what thirty years and hundreds of young women have proven to be true. But make no mistake: the damage is real. It has deeply affected me, my family, and my friends — forever. And I am done being silent about it.”

The case has also drawn attention to Cunningham’s athletic record during the 2021 season, the same year she alleges the delay of a wrist surgery caused permanent damage. During that season, she was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week twice and earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Colgate athlete to win a major conference award since 2015.

Beyond the legal filings, much of the debate has centered on Taylor’s coaching style — described by supporters as demanding but developmental.

U.S. Army Major Jordan Miller, who played for Taylor at SUNY Cortland from 2008 to 2012 and now serves as a Battalion Executive Officer responsible for more than 500 soldiers, said: “Having served multiple combat deployments, I can state with absolute certainty that the foundation of my leadership and resiliency was built under Coach Taylor. In the military, we distinguish between toxic leadership and demanding leadership. Coach Taylor is what I deem the gold standard of a developmental leader.”

Olivia Lynch, a Colgate player and sole senior captain during the period referenced in the lawsuit, recalled Taylor’s early expectations: “At our very first 6 a.m. practice, she told us, ‘I will never ask you to play through injury, but I will ask you to push through the pain.’ The way she has been portrayed in the press does not reflect the coach I know. Coach Taylor was tough, demanding, and uncompromising in her pursuit of excellence, but never abusive.”

Taylor’s résumé includes multiple New York State championships at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, four Final Four appearances at SUNY Cortland, and a 2018 National Championship at Le Moyne College. She has been inducted into multiple halls of fame and was elected president of the International Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.

As the legal process continues, Taylor’s supporters argue that championship programs are built on trust and cohesion — not fear. For now, after years of silence, the coach who built her career on discipline and results has made one thing clear: she intends to defend both.