Michigan State now says it intends to fire head football coach Mel Tucker for cause on the tail of sexual harassment allegations lodged against him.
The school suspended Tucker without pay on Sept. 17 after an anti-rape activist claimed that he sexually harassed her during a phone call.
Tucker fully disputed that there was any harassment but admitted that he had an “adult relationship” with activist Brenda Tracy.
But Tracy seems to disagree with that characterization of their relationship. And described the phone call as “gross.”
She delivered a “tearful” interview to investigators, saying she could “hear [Tucker] masturbating, including ‘every stroke.’ She could hear the noise of some kind of lubrication being used. [Tracy] said it was ‘so loud and gross.’ She could hear [Tucker] ‘moaning and groaning.’ [Tracy] ‘kind of froze’ in the moment at first.”
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In a public letter, Tucker disputed her claims that his actions were unwanted.
“Brenda Tracy’s allegations of harassment are completely false,” Tucker wrote, according to Yahoo Sports. “The proceedings initiated by Ms. Tracy are devoid of any semblance of fairness for any matter of this importance, and the University’s ‘hearing’ scheduled for October 5-6 is so flawed that there is no other opportunity for the truth to come out.”
On Sept. 18, MSU athletic director Alan Haller announced that the school had told Tucker that he would be fired.
“I, with the support of the administration and board, have provided Mel Tucker with written notice of intent to terminate his contract for cause,” Haller said in a statement, according to Yahoo Sports. “This notification process is required as part of his existing contract. The notice provides Tucker with seven calendar days to respond and present reasons to me and the interim president as to why he should not be terminated for cause. This action does not include the ongoing Office for Civil Rights case; that rigorous process will continue.”
Tucker has replied to the notice of termination, saying he is “disappointed — but not surprised.”
On Tuesday, Tucker said he is “disappointed — but not surprised — to learn that MSU intends to terminate my contract over Ms. Tracy’s improper public disclosure of the entire 1200-page investigation file regarding her baseless complaint against me.”
Head coach Mel Tucker of the Michigan State Spartans reacts before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium on November 26, 2022, in State College, Pennsylvania. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
He also alleges that Tracy leaked the details of the investigation against school rules.
“MSU is punishing me for Ms. Tracy’s leak, which violated MSU’s rules regarding confidentiality of the investigation,” Tucker said in his statement.
Tucker also alleges that the school is just trying to save money on the remaining $77 million of his $95 million contract.
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