State of Michigan the suspended football coach inquired Mel Tucker Monday that he will be fired without compensation for misconduct involving activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy in a sordid case dating back more than a year.
“The termination gives Tucker seven calendar days to respond and provide reasons to me and the interim president as to why he should not be terminated for cause,” athletic director Alan Haller said in a statement from the school.
If Tucker does not “show sufficient cause to dispute multiple contract violations,” the school will fire him on September 26, three days after the program’s Big Ten opener in what was hoped to be a bounce-back year for the Spartans.
Tucker is in the third year of a 10-year, $95 million contract and if he is fired for cause, the school would not have to pay him what remains of his deal. Tucker, his agent and his attorney did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Haller said the decision does not affect the ongoing investigation into Tracy’s sexual harassment allegations, which is being handled by the school’s civil rights office.
Michigan State informed Mel Tucker on Monday that he will be fired without compensation
Brenda Tracy (pictured) said Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call in April 2022
Tracy said Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call in April 2022. Several months later, Tracy filed a complaint with the school’s Title IX office and the investigation was completed in July. A hearing is scheduled for the week of Oct. 5 to determine whether Tucker violated the school’s sexual harassment and exploitation policy. A ruling can take up to 60 days.
Tracy’s allegations were made public earlier this month by USA Today. Tucker, 51, who said he is estranged from his wife and has two children, said the allegations against him are “completely false.” Tucker maintained that the intimate phone conversation he had with Tracy was consensual and outside the scope of Title IX and school policy.
However, the school said the actions Tucker acknowledged were unprofessional and unethical. Tucker was told he was being fired for “violations” of his contract and for engaging in “conduct constituting moral turpitude or which, in the sole discretion of the university, would tend to constitute public disrespect, contempt or to bring ridicule to the university.’
Tucker said the allegations are “false” and that the phone call with Tracy was consensual
Tracy is known for her work with college teams educating athletes about sexual assault. Michigan State paid her $10,000 to share her story with the football team.
The Spartans (2-1) were defeated 41-7 by No. 8 Washington on Saturday in Harlon Barnett’s debut as interim coach. Michigan State hosts Maryland (3-0) on Saturday.
Tucker began his coaching career under Nick Saban as a graduate assistant for the Spartans in 1997. He returned to the school with one of the largest contracts in college sports after leading Colorado for one season and serving as an assistant coach at Georgia, Alabama and State of Ohio.
Tucker also worked in the NFL, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars as interim coach during the 2011 season.