麻豆精品

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter

Michigan State University fired head football coach Mel Tucker on Wednesday on the grounds that he violated the ethical conduct portion of his contract.

The letter sent to Tucker Wednesday from the university rehashes Tucker鈥檚 admitted actions toward sexual violence advocate Brenda Tracy as misconduct. Tracy reports that Tucker sexually harassed her, whereas Tucker said they had a consensual flirtatious relationship.

Tucker was less than two years into his 10-year, $95 million contract.

MSU Tucker to his impending termination on Sept. 18.

鈥淎t this point, the University has amassed a body of undisputed evidence of misconduct that warrants termination for cause,鈥� the notification to Tucker last week said.鈥淭he unprofessional and unethical behavior is particularly egregious given that the Vendor at issue was contracted by the University for the sole purpose of educating student-athletes on, and preventing instances of, inappropriate sexual misconduct. Your admitted conduct 鈥� engaging in sexual extramarital behavior with a University vendor颅 rises to the level of a material breach of your contractual duty to the University to conduct yourself in a professional and ethical manner 鈥榓t all times.鈥欌��

Tucker has admitted to making sexual comments at Tracy and in particular, he admitted to masturbating on a phone call with her on April 28, 2022, which was the crux of the complaint Tracy made to the university in December 2022, saying it was non consensual and sexual harassment.

Information about the phone call became public with a USA Today investigation published earlier in September. Tracy is an advocate who travels to schools, including MSU, to create awareness for sexual violence. In Tracy鈥檚 comments to USA Today and in several comments posted to her social media accounts, she said she did not consent to Tuckers conduct on the call.

Tucker鈥檚 attorneys responded to the university鈥檚 notification of intent on Monday, outlining in 25 pages that what Tucker did does not fulfill an ethical violation in his contract and 鈥渢he flimsy foundation of the University鈥檚 finding 鈥� a private relationship involving mutual flirting and one instance of consensual phone sex 鈥� falls far short of the mark.鈥�

The letter from Tuckers鈥� attorneys say there is evidence of consent from Tracy to the call and evidence of a relationship before and after the calls. The attorneys add that, 鈥渢here is no MSU policy that requires anyone to have consent for phone sex.鈥�

鈥淔ocusing on consent for the question of whether a hostile environment exists is a mistake,鈥� the letter reads. 鈥淭here is evidence that she continued to contact MGT for personal reasons thereafter, thus undercutting any argument for unwelcomeness. If the conduct was welcome, then it cannot create a hostile environment and the complaint must be dismissed.鈥�

The termination letter sent out by MSU says that Tucker鈥檚 legal team clearly had enough time to understand the university鈥檚 concerns, but it fails to address why Tucker should not be fired.

鈥淪imply put, Mr. Tucker鈥檚 response does not provide any information that refutes or undermines the multiple grounds for termination for cause set forth in the notice,鈥� Athletic Director Alan Haller said. 鈥淚nstead, his 25-page response, which includes a 12-page letter from his attorney and a 13-page 鈥榚xpert report,鈥� provides a litany of excuses for his inappropriate behavior while expressly admitting to the problematic conduct.鈥�

A formal hearing to review the results of the university鈥檚 investigation into Tracy鈥檚 report is scheduled for Oct. 5 and 6.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: [email protected]. Follow Michigan Advance on and .

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 麻豆精品鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.