Al Goldis/AP
Michigan State coach Mel Tucker walks on the sidelines during an NCAA college football game against Richmond in September. 9. 2023.
CNN –
Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker has been suspended without pay pending an ongoing investigation, the university announced Sunday.
Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller announced in a news conference Sunday that Tucker was the subject of an ongoing investigation that began in December. An investigation report was presented in July and a formal hearing will take place the week of October 5, Haller said.
Tucker’s suspension follows a controversial report published in USA Today on Saturday night.
According to the USA Today report, Tucker allegedly made sexual comments and masturbated during a phone conversation with Brenda Tracy, an attorney and rape survivor.
In a letter to investigators, Tucker described his and Tracy’s relationship as “consensual and intimate,” according to USA Today.
CNN has not independently verified the details of the USA Today report.
According to her website, Tracy founded the nonprofit Set The Expectation, where she speaks to athletes about ending sexual violence. Tracy was raped by four college football players in 1998, which led to her advocacy.
According to the show’s social media accounts, Tracy served as honorary captain for the team’s spring football game in 2022.
According to the university’s website, this is Tucker’s fourth season with the team since he became the head coach of the Spartans in 2020.
“This morning’s news might sound like MSU from the old days; That was not the case,” Teresa K. Woodruff, interim president of Michigan State University, said Sunday afternoon. “It’s not because an independent, unbiased investigation is being conducted and continues to be conducted.”
The university has come under scrutiny for its past handling of sexual abuse allegations against former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who also served as a team doctor for USA Gymnastics.
Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison in Michigan in 2018 after pleading guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct and admitting that he used his trusted medical position to assault and molest girls under the guise of medical treatment. A total of 156 women gave victim impact statements in court.
An attorney for a group of Nassar victims sued Michigan State University in July, claiming the school’s board of trustees conducted “illegal secret votes” to prevent the release of thousands of documents in the case, the court filing said. A university spokesman declined to comment at the time.
During Tucker’s suspension, sophomore coach Harlon Barnett will serve as interim head coach, Haller announced, and former MSU head coach Mark Dantonio will serve as associate head coach. According to their football schedule, the Spartans will face the Washington Huskies at home on Saturday.
Woodruff pointed to counseling resources available to anyone who may be affected by this news and mentioned the Center for Survivors and the Office for Civil Rights on campus.
“If you have heard, experienced, or are aware of behavior that seems inappropriate, please know that you have the support and resources here at MSU,” Woodruff said.
CNN reached out to Tracy and her attorney Sunday but received no response.
CNN also reached out to Tucker’s agent after his suspension was announced but did not receive a response.