Mel Tucker has been a major disappointment for Michigan State since he landed a massive contract extension in 2021. Yet as bad as the Spartans have been, a troubling report has emerged that suggests Tucker has no business being a head coach for reasons far greater than football.
ESPN reports that Tucker is the subject of an ongoing university sexual harassment investigation.
USA Today provided details of the alleged harassment, as well as the reported victim, an advocate for sexual assault prevention who met Tucker after speaking to the football team in 2021 and 2022. Per the complaint, Tucker made unwanted advances and performed a sexual act without her consent during a phone call.
According to ESPN, the complaint was filed in December 2022 and Tucker responded in a March 2023 letter, saying the relationship was “mutually consensual and intimate,” including the phone call, which he described as “consensual phone sex.”
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5 and 6, which will “determine whether Tucker violated the school’s sexual harassment policy.”
If found to be in violation, that would be a clear cause for dismissal. Lansing State Journal’s Graham Couch wrote on Sunday that he can’t “see any path for [Tucker] to continue leading MSU’s football program.”
Indeed, it’s hard to see how Tucker could coach the team for the next three games with such a dark cloud hanging over him. Coaches talk about limiting distractions and until his hearing, Tucker will be the biggest distraction at Michigan State.
He’s afforded due process, but as Couch noted, “inconsistencies in his story, notably denying the incident took place on a work trip when receipts show otherwise” don’t help his case.
For Michigan State, the allegations come after the school settled a lawsuit in 2018 involving former U.S. Gymnastics trainer Larry Nassar, who the school employed, paying his victims $500 million. The university is unlikely to offer Tucker much leniency.
He wouldn’t be owed a buyout under the circumstances, which gives the Spartans an out on arguably the worst head coaching contract in college football.
Tucker received a 10-year, $95 million contract extension after getting blown out by Ohio State 56-7 in 2021. Since 2022, Michigan State is 6-7 against FBS programs. On Saturday, it beat FCS Richmond 45-14.
That might end up being Tucker’s last game as Spartans head coach.