Mel Tucker was made one of the highest-paid coaches in college football in 2021. Just under two years later, it's possible he's coached his final game at Michigan State.
Tucker was not be on the sideline with the Spartans when Michigan State took the field on against Washington, his first game missed after the program placed him on indefinite unpaid leave over sexual harassment allegations. Now, Michigan State has made it known that it intends to fire Tucker for cause.
Michigan State had signed Tucker to a massive 10-year, $95 million contract in November 2021 during the midst of what would be an 11-2 campaign for the Spartans, a campaign that ended with a Peach Bowl win and a No. 9 ranking in the AP poll. The team dropped off to a 5-7 season the next year, and was off to a 2-0 start in 2023 after beating Central Michigan and Richmond.
Why is Tucker out? Here's what you need to know about his investigation.
DeCOURCY: Tucker's reckless behavior shows he's not fit to lead football program
Why Mel Tucker is on unpaid leave from Michigan State
News broke late Saturday night from USA Today that Tucker was being investigated by the school for sexual harassment allegations from rape survivor and sexual assault activist Brenda Tracy.
Per USA Today's report, Tracy claims Tucker called her and engaged in non-consensual phone sex, and sent her unwanted gifts. She said he masturbated on the phone without her consent while on the phone and made several attempts asking her to date him. She made appearances at Michigan State in August 2021 and April 2022 to discuss sexual misconduct prevention.
"The idea that someone could know me and say they understand my trauma but then re-inflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me, it’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around it," Tracy told USA Today. "It’s like he sought me out just to betray me."
Tucker told investigators that over time, the two developed a romantic connection, with Tucker claiming Tracy wanted a "sugar daddy" and said she would be "all over" him if not for his marriage, according to USA Today. He said the only issue was that his marriage combined with the distance between the two made things "too messy." Tracy called Tucker's romantic interest one-sided, and said on Dec. 1, 2021, that she told him the two would only be friends.
USA Today reported that on April 28, 2022, Tucker spoke with Tracy on the phone. Tracy said that on the call, Tucker sent a photo of the two, commented on her appearance and began masturbating. Tucker claims Tracy said they should have phone sex, though Tracy denies his claim. Tracy said she recalled crying after the call.
For several months following the incident, Tracy said she tried to pretend it had not happened to focus on her advocacy work with the school, but Tucker stopped responding to texts and an in-person training was canceled. Tracy said Tucker claimed she was gossiping about his marital problems and said he could no longer trust her, eventually making claims she perceived as threats to her reputation.
Tracy filed her complaint in December. Tucker told investigators he was "absolutely shocked" and claimed she had it out for Michigan State's athletics program due to the history of sexual misconduct scandals.
“To say that I have learned from this situation is an understatement,” Tucker wrote in a letter to the investigator on March 22, according to USA Today. “I will never again allow myself to be duped by kindness.”
Michigan State retained Title IX attorney Rebecca Leitman Veidlinger to conduct an investigation into the claims, and she interviewed Tracy and other potential witnesses, speaking with Tucker in March. He allegedly later attempted to stop the investigation, with Tracy claiming his lawyer offered her settlement agreements that Tracy declined. He and his lawyer later called on Michigan State to drop the complaint.
According to the report, Veidlinger referred the case for a hearing and did not submit a finding of fault. The hearing, set for early October during Michigan State's bye week, will give both Tucker and Tracy the chance to make arguments before another Title IX attorney concludes whether Tucker violated Michigan State rules.
Once USA Today's story was published, Tucker was suspended without pay. That day, university interim president Teresa Woodruff and athletic director Alan Haller said there were "new developments" to the case that led to Tucker's suspension, according to The Athletic. They also sent out an email to reporters and the Michigan State community saying they did not know the full details of the investigation until the USA Today story was published.
On Monday, Tucker released a statement, calling the April phone call "an entirely mutual, private event between two adults living at opposite ends of the country," per The Athletic, and called allegations from Tracy "completely false." He also said the investigation was a "sham" and described Tracy's claims as "character assassination," adding he believed there was "an ulterior motive designed to terminate my contract."
Tracy said on Tuesday she did not want her identity to be publicly disclosed, with her attorney, Karen Truszkowski, saying she has wanted to "be committed to complying with and concluding the MSU internal investigative process."
"She respected the process and chose not to go to the media to preserve the integrity of the process," Truszkowski said, per The Athletic. "After the investigation process was completed, we would have determined, what, if any further to take.
"Instead, [Tracy's] identity was disclosed without her knowledge or consent, warranting express action to protect her. Her choice to allow this process to proceed privately was taken away."
What's next for Mel Tucker
Michigan State announced that it intends to fire Tucker for cause. Tucker will have seven days to implore the school to change its mind.
Michigan State has announced it has begun the process of firing coach Mel Tucker for cause. pic.twitter.com/FTYpTMvDhW
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 18, 2023
According to The Athletic, the Title IX hearing for the investigation will be held on Oct. 5 and 6, during Michigan State's bye week.
In the meantime, secondary coach Harlon Barnett will be the team's acting head coach, with former Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio returning as an associate head coach.
If Tucker's firing is made official, Michigan State would get out of the $9.5 million annual salary he is owed through 2032. The school intends to fire Tucker for cause, which is described as "if the coach engaged in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or, which in the university's reasonable judgment, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule." Should the university fire him for cause, he would not be owed any of the remainder of his contract.
