Report: Mel Tucker under investigation for sexual harassment
Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker is the subject of an internal investigation for sexual harassment, ESPN reported late on Saturday night. A report from USA Today shortly thereafter identified the complainant as high-profile anti-sexual violence advocate and rape survivor Brenda Tracy, who has made a career of speaking primarily to college-aged athletes.
Tracy alleged in a Title IX complaint — which is being handled by lawyers hired by the university — that Tucker repeatedly made sexual comments and masturbated during a phone call on April 28, 2022. A report that resulted from that investigation was delivered to the university in July.
There will be a formal Title IX hearing during Oct. 5-6 — during the Michigan State idle week in the football season — to determine if Tucker violated the school policy banning sexual harassment and exploitation.
Tracy shared a trove of case documents with USA Today and agreed to have her identity revealed — USA Today generally keeps complainants and victims anonymous unless they choose otherwise.
Tracy said she sat frozen during the call.
“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 to USA Today. “It’s like he sought me out just to betray me.”
Tucker, in a letter to the investigator, acknowledged masturbating on the call but claimed the episode was mischaracterized and described it as consensual “phone sex.”
“Ms. Tracy’s distortion of our mutually consensual and intimate relationship into allegations of sexual exploitation has really affected me,” Tucker said in the letter, according to USA Today. “I am not proud of my judgment and I am having difficulty forgiving myself for getting into this situation, but I did not engage in misconduct by any definition.”
Tucker was reached on Saturday night and hung up, according to USA Today. The school declined to comment.
The investigation has been open for months and remains open, according to ESPN.
An ESPN records request to the school in late July was denied, with the school claiming it would be an “unwarranted invasion” of Tucker’s privacy to release docs related to an investigation.
“Under FOIA’s privacy exemption, information is exempt if (1) it is personal in nature, and (2) disclosure would reveal little to nothing about the inner workings of the government. Information is personal in nature when it is intimate, embarrassing, private, or confidential,” Michigan State said, denying ESPN’s request.
The ESPN story noted that the sports media giant is considering legal action in response to the records request denial from the schools interim president, Teresa K. Woodruff, which ESPN believes is in violation of state law.
The argument to deny the requests — filed under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) — is similar to an argument MSU used to try and shield donor contracts relating to Tucker’s contract from being released.
Michigan State was sued by the Detroit Free Press for that denial and lost. They turned over copies of the donor contracts that redacted personal information such as addresses or bank account info.
All told, Michigan State is on the hook for $71 million over the course of the 10-year contract after the combined gifts from Mat Ishbia and Steven St. Andre. Tucker was signed to a 10-year, $95 million deal in late 2021.
Ishbia revealed on an episode of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that he had donated $14 million to the Tucker contract, which the docs confirm. St. Andre’s gift is for $10 million.
The documents, which are contracts spelling out the terms and timelines of the gifts from Ishbia and St. Andre, do not directly state the money is supposed to cover Tucker’s salary. In the case of St. Andre’s donation, the purpose is for “recruitment and retention” for the Michigan State football team.
Michigan State played Richmond, winning 45-14, on Saturday afternoon.