Mel Tucker under investigation over sexual harassment allegations

Sep 3, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mel Tucker walks on the field during warmups before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker has been under investigation after he was accused of sexual harassment.

Michigan State hired an outside Title IX attorney to investigate a claim that was filed against Tucker last December. The accuser, Brenda Tracy, agreed to identify herself and share more than 1,200 pages of case documents with Kenny Jacoby of USA Today.

Tracy is a sexual assault prevention advocate who in 2014 publicly alleged that she was raped by four men, including two former Oregon State football players, in the late 1990s. She has since started a nonprofit called Set The Expectation and travels around the country speaking with student-athletes and coaches about preventing sexual misconduct.

Tracy said she visited Michigan State in August 2021 and April 2022 to speak with the Spartans. Tracy claims Tucker called her multiple times during the second visit and asked if she would date him if he wasn’t married. Tracy also accused Tucker of masturbating without her consent during a phone call between the two.

Tucker admitted to Michigan State’s Title IX investigator that he masturbated on the call but described the incident as mutual phone sex. He said he had a “mutually consensual and intimate” relationship with Tracy. Tucker also said of the phone sex that Tracy was “the one who said we’ll do it.”

Tracy said she did not hang up during the alleged call because it did not occur to her. She told the investigator that she warned Tucker, “If you do this, I don’t ever want to hear about it, we are only friends, that’s it.” Tracy also spoke with USA Today about the situation.

“The idea that someone could know me and say they understand my trauma but then re-inflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me, it’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around it,” she said. “It’s like he sought me out just to betray me.”

Despite that, Tracy continued her partnership with Michigan State. She said Tucker abruptly canceled her in-person training at the school three months later and accused her and her assistant of gossiping about his marital issues. Tracy also claims Tucker threatened her career by telling her, “I’ll be fine, it’s you that I am worried about.”

Tracy said she initially did not come forward with the allegations for the sake of her career. She then felt hypocritical encouraging people to speak up about sexual misconduct and not doing so herself.

Tucker signed a 10-year, $95 million contract extension with Michigan State in November 2021. A clause in contract states that the school can fire him with cause “if the coach engaged in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or, which in the university’s reasonable judgment, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule.” A hearing has been set for October, during which an outside Title IX attorney will determine whether the evidence shows Tucker violated school rules.