Report: Michigan State knew about Mel Tucker complaint but not details of the case

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker was suspended without pay by the program on Sunday, in the wake of a report emerging that he is under investigation for sexual harassment.

According to a USA Today report on Sunday, a complaint was filed by prominent advocate against sexual violence and misconduct Brenda Tracy in December, alleging that Tucker sent her gifts and pursued a ‘one-sided’ relationship that was unwelcome. One of the allegations included a phone call in which Tucker made sexual comments about Tracy and masturbated.

Those were details that were reportedly not available to Michigan State brass at the time the complaint was filed in December, though they were made aware of the complaint itself.

According to Dan Murphy of ESPN, Michigan State leadership did not know any of the alleged details until Saturday night. Murphy reports that Title IX and sexual misconduct experts say that is standard operating procedure for handling such a complaint, and that Tucker’s bosses should not have known the details during an open case.

The USA Today report brought many of the details to light late Saturday night.

Tracy and Tucker first developed a professional working relationship over the course of a few months, with her work advocating against sexual violence getting an additional platform at Michigan State.

According to ESPN, Tracy visited Michigan State in August 2021 and April 2022 to speak to the football team about preventing sexual misconduct. Tracy is a vocal advocate against sexual violence and has spoken to dozens of football programs around the country in recent years.

After her April visit to Michigan State, Tracy reportedly received multiple calls from Tucker asking to meet up. According to her complaint, a phone call on April 28, 2022 from Tucker included several sexual comments to her and Tucker masturbating while on the phone.

Tracy, who is a rape survivor, told USA Today that the idea someone would “re-inflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me, it’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around it.”

Mel Tucker, meanwhile, told Title IX investigators that the relationship was “mutually consensual” and characterized the phone call as “phone sex,” according to the USA Today report.

Tracy first filed her complaint in December 2022. Michigan State hired an outside Title IX attorney to investigate her complaint.

With the details reported by USA Today, Michigan State leadership acted quickly, removing Tucker from his post pending formal resolution of the Title IX investigation, which still has outstanding hearings and a final decision process to wrap up.

“The university’s objective has been, and remains, focus on conducting a fair, thorough, and unbiased investigation and allowing the processes to play out. This includes protecting confidentiality of the claimant and putting in place interim measures,” Michigan State AD Alan Haller said. “The university’s formal conclusion of the investigation will occur on once the hearing and final decision processes are complete.”