Michigan State makes it official, fires football coach Mel Tucker

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State formally ended the Mel Tucker coaching era at the school on Tuesday, but the saga and fallout from the former Spartan football coach’s sexual misconduct case is likely to resonate for weeks and months to come. 

Michigan State officially announced Tucker’s firing on Tuesday, with a statement from the university Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Alan Haller, eight days after giving Tucker one week to respond to the university’s stated intentions of firing him. Tucker responded with a statement on Monday.

“Simply put, Mr. Tucker’s response does not provide any information that refutes or undermines the multiple grounds for termination for cause set forth in the notice,” Haller said. “Instead, his 25-page response, which includes a 12-page letter from his attorney and a 13-page ‘expert report,’ provides a litany of excuses for his inappropriate behavior while expressly admitting to the problematic conduct outlined in the notice.”

Tucker had been suspended without pay since Sept. 10, stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct made by Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault survivor and speaker who was hired by Tucker to speak to Michigan State’s football team on one occasion in August of 2021. 

Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller, with support of university administration, suspended Tucker without pay on Sept. 10. 

Haller announced on Sept. 19 that Michigan State had delivered Tucker written notice of intent to terminate his contract for cause in seven days. The statement, in accordance with Tucker’s contract, provided Tucker seven days to respond and present reasons to Haller and MSU’s administration why he should not be terminated for cause.

Michigan State’s notice to Tucker stated that he “made unwelcome sexual advances towards” Tracy, a vendor who was “contracted by the University for the sole purpose of educating student-athletes on, and preventing instances of, inappropriate sexual conduct.”

The notice claims that Tucker “masturbated on a phone call without her consent” and concludes that “while the formal grievance process proceeds, the above-described undisputed facts provide multiple grounds for termination under the Agreement’s Early Termination Provision.”

The notice claims Tucker’s behavior “constitutes a material breach, demonstrates ‘conduct which constitutes moral turpitude,’ and “has brought ‘public disrespect, contempt, or ridicule upon the University,’” all of which it claims are grounds for dismissal.

Tucker’s attorneys responded on Monday, stating that Tucker “did not engage in unprofessional or unethical behavior or ‘moral turpitude’ by any stretch of the imagination.” The statement criticizes the university for moving toward firing Tucker “without any meaningful review of the facts.”

Tucker entered this season in the second year of a 10-year, $95 million contract.

According to statements from Tracy and Tucker to a Title IX investigator made public via a news report by USA Today on Sept. 10, the pair participated in a relationship consisting of texts and phone conversations, culminating in a phone sex conversation on April 28, 2022. Tucker claims that conversation was consensual, but Tracy categorizes it as harassment. 

A few days prior to the phone sex conversation, she was honored by Tucker and the team at Michigan State’s spring scrimmage on April 16, 2022. She was scheduled to speak again to the Michigan State football team on July 25, 2022, but that date was canceled as the relationship between Tracy and Tucker turned sour. 

Tracy filed a complaint to Michigan State University in December of 2022.

In its statement on Tuesday, Michigan State cautioned that “the action to terminate Tucker’s contract does not conclude the ongoing MSU Office for Civil Rights case; that rigorous process will continue. A step-by-step chart is available on MSU’s Office for Civil Rights website which provides information on the timeline of a case – from report to resolution.”

Acting Head Football Coach Harlon Barnett is being named interim head coach, subject to board approval during its October meeting.

Tucker, 51, is married. He said in a statement on Sept. 11, that he and his wife “had been estranged for a long time” when his relationship with Tracy developed.

After Tracy filed her complaint, Michigan State hired an external Title IX attorney to conduct an investigation. The investigation concluded in July, at which point a hearing with a separate external Title IX attorney was scheduled for the first week of October. 

Investigative news reporter Kenny Jacoby authored the USA Today story on Sept. 10. He said during an interview on a Lansing sports talk show on Tuesday that he worked on Tracy’s story for three months prior to it being published on Sept. 10. Tracy presented USA Today with the full 1,200-page report from the Title IX investigation soon after the investigation ended. 

Tracy released a statement earlier this month that she provided USA Today with the findings of the investigation in case her name and complaint became leaked. Jacoby said Tracy gave the go-ahead to publish the story after she became concerned that her name and news of the investigation might have been leaked to other news sources.

Tucker, 51, was 20-14 in three-plus seasons for the Spartans. He coached Michigan State to records of 2-5, 11-2 and 5-7 in three full seasons. Michigan State was off to a 2-0 start this season when the USA Today news story broke, just hours after the Spartans defeated Richmond, 45-14, on Sept. 9.

Tucker and his attorneys are digging in to claim all or a percentage of the remaining money on his contract. Michigan State is holding firm to its claim that it fired him with cause.

In his response to Michigan State’s notice that it planned to fire him this week, Tucker claimed that “other motives are at play.” He said he doesn’t believe that “MSU plans to fire me because I admitted to an entirely consensual, private relationship with another adult who gave one presentation at MSU, at my behest, over two years ago.” Tucker says Tracy “manufactured false allegations” against him.

Tucker has indicated through statements that he might not attend the Oct. 5-6 hearing. Results of the hearing might not be known for four weeks afterward, as the Title IX attorney analyzes the case. Appeals could extend the process into January. 

Meanwhile, Michigan State and Tucker’s representatives could negotiate for a cash settlement to his contract, or take the battle to court.