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A Michigan State hearing officer ruled Wednesday that football coach Mel Tucker violated the university’s sexual harassment policy while engaging in conduct that led to a formal complaint from activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy.
The decision follows a hearing earlier this month at which Tucker was absent due to what his lawyers described as a serious medical condition. The 51-year-old, who was fired for cause late last month, has ten days to file an appeal.
An attorney for Tracy confirmed earlier reports on the day of the decision, with the representative noting that the hearing officer “concluded by the preponderance of the evidence” that Tucker violated MSU’s policies on relationship violence and sexual misconduct, ” through sexual harassment and sexual harassment”. “sexual exploitation” of her client.
Tracy told USA Today that she shed “tears of relief” in response to the verdict.
Their attorney subsequently told The Washington Post that they would “have no further comment at this time.” A school spokesman also declined to comment, saying the possibility of an appeal means school officials “do not yet consider the matter final.”
Tracy, who speaks to college football teams about creating and promoting a culture against sexual violence, filed a complaint with Michigan State in December. The school hired an independent investigator into the case, a process that took about 10 months until the Oct. 5 hearing. At that point, Tracy’s allegations had already been made public in a USA Today report in September, in which she described his behavior as “disgusting.”
After they made a personal connection when Tucker invited Tracy to speak to his team in August 2021, she claimed he had developed an unrequited romantic interest and made inappropriate comments. Tracy said Tucker masturbated during a phone call last year, an episode she said caused trauma from her past. Tucker then canceled a second visit she was scheduled to make with his team, a turnaround that she said was tied to what she called a rejection of his advances.
Tucker has repeatedly stated that their relationship was consensual and a purely personal matter outside the jurisdiction of the state of Michigan. An attorney for Tucker sent a letter to university officials at the time of the Oct. 5 hearing saying Tracy “allegedly deleted key evidence and provided only self-serving excerpts.” [the school’s Office of Institutional Equity] to perpetuate an allegation of “harassment” that MSU should not have investigated in the first place.” The attorney also said in the letter that Tracy “took advantage of MSU’s ‘investigative process’ because she was motivated by financial reasons.”
After the university informed Tucker of his dismissal, a statement said that his contract was terminated due to “his admitted and undisputed conduct, which has brought public disrespect, contempt and ridicule to the university; and constitute a material breach of its agreement and moral turpitude.”
At the time of his release, Tucker had about $80 million left on a 10-year, $95 million contract he signed in 2021. When he signed the contract, he was in the midst of leading the Spartans to an 11-2 record in his second season with the program. Then, in 2022, Michigan State was 5-7 and was 2-0 this year when he was fired.
Tucker was replaced by interim coach Harlon Barnett, who has since suffered five losses in as many games, including a 49-0 loss Saturday to second-place Michigan.