ZenBlog

Michigan State fired head coach Mel Tucker in September amid a sexual harassment investigation, but his ousting reportedly had been under consideration long before that.

According to ESPN's Dan Murphy, Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller "said he wanted to separate [Tucker] from the football team months before the 2023 season began but the school's administration prevented him from doing so."

The university launched an investigation after prominent sexual assault awareness speaker Brenda Tracy, who spoke with the Spartans football team on multiple occasions, filed a complaint claiming that Tucker harassed her and masturbated without her consent during a phone call. Tucker, who claimed that he and Tracy had a consensual relationship, was fired for cause on Sept. 27.

Per Murphy, Haller told Tucker in his initial termination letter on Sept. 18 that the coach's admissions that he flirted and had a sexual encounter with a school vendor were grounds for his firing regardless of consent. Sources told Murphy that Haller "was aware of Tucker's admissions months before taking any disciplinary actions against him and pushed to take action sooner." Tucker remained in his position for the first nine months of the university's investigation.

Michigan State spokeswoman Emily Guerrant declined to provide clarity about when university interim president Teresa Woodruff learned of Tucker's admissions about his encounters with Tracy, per Murphy. Guerrant claimed that Woodruff and others "were not aware of the full scope of the investigation until details were made public" in a report by Kenny Jacoby of USA Today on Sept. 10.

When asked when Woodruff learned of the information that was eventually used for Tucker's firing, Guerrant said in a general statement:

"Best practices in investigations call for privacy in order to not influence outcomes. Privacy is also key to creating a culture around reporting incidents - we must create a safe environment for all individuals to come forward without a fear of institutional retaliation or dissemination of information regarding highly personal matters."

Guerrant added that after the USA Today story was published with details about Tracy's claims, the university felt it could no longer maintain privacy and "determined then that personnel actions were warranted."

Before his eventual firing, Tucker was suspended by the university on the same day the story was published. He had been one of the highest-paid coaches in college sports after signing a 10-year, $95 million contract in November 2021, but his firing resulted in a loss of the over $70 million remaining on his deal.

Murphy noted that Tucker called the university investigation "a sham," and his attorney told Michigan State that he might sue the school for wrongful termination. However, he has yet to file a lawsuit.

ncG1vNJzZmianJqupLTEq6meqJ%2BnwW%2BvzqZmmqqknrCtsdJoaGloaW1%2FdX6Mq5ypp6Kpeq6%2F1GaYnWWnlru1scNmq6hllp6%2FpnnMnqNmrKWYuKa%2BjJucn6eimnpzfJFsZJyekmLApq3SqKVmmZ2esW61za%2BcrKyZnK61tc6n