Updated September 11, 2023 at 11:17 a.m. ET
Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker has been suspended without pay over allegations of sexual harassment.
A USA TODAY story published early Sunday morning said Brenda Tracy, a consent educator, accused Tucker of making sexually suggestive comments and masturbating on a phone call with her last year.
WKAR’s Wali Khan spoke with Kenny Jacoby with USA TODAY who investigated Tracy’s claims and broke the story.
Interview Highlights
On what Jacoby uncovered and the allegations against Tucker
Specifically, what is alleged in the complaint that Brenda filed in December of 2022 is that Mel Tucker came onto her romantically at various times throughout their relationship. She said that he, you know, essentially expressed interest in a romance with her, and she tried to set boundaries with him telling him that she doesn't date coaches, she doesn't date people that she works with. But she said that Mel Tucker continued sort of to pursue her romantically. But what changed is on an April 28, 2022 phone call, Brenda said that Mel Tucker began making sexual comments about her unexpectedly and then began masturbating on the phone without her consent.
On the credibility of Tracy's allegations and Tucker's response
The nature of these incidents is there's often no witnesses, no recordings. And so it does come down, generally, to whose account is more credible. And Tucker and Brenda both spoke with the Title IX investigator and detailed their accounts of the incident which were very different. Brenda, of course, said that this entire encounter was nonconsensual and that she never had any romantic interest in him, that his interest in her was completely one-sided. Whereas, Mel Tucker said that they had a consensual, mutual attraction to each other and on this call that they had consensual phone sex.
On what this means in a post-Nassar Michigan State University
Michigan State is very much still under a microscope as to how it handles these allegations, particularly because it is responsible for mishandling the sexual abuse allegations by Larry Nassar, one of the most prolific sexual abusers in American history. And so, everybody is watching how they handle this situation.
Interview Transcript
Michelle Jokisch Polo: Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker has been suspended without pay over allegations of sexual harassment.
His accuser is Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor who's made it her mission to educate others about sexual violence and the importance of consent. Tucker hired Tracy in 2021 to talk to the football team. She filed a Title IX complaint in December of 2022.
The university announced Tucker's suspension Sunday after USA TODAY broke the story on the Title IX investigation.
WKAR’s Wali Khan spoke with reporter Kenny Jacoby, who wrote the story.
Wali Khan: So, what was Tracy’s involvement with Michigan State University?
Kenny Jacoby: So, Brenda Tracy was invited by Mel Tucker to come speak to his players. She came to campus. She delivered the speech that she's given many times about her rape and her trauma and the aftermath of that. And after their first meeting, Brenda and Mel Tucker developed a sort of professional relationship where they stayed in touch, and he kept inviting her back to campus for more engagements with the football program.
In April 2022, he named her an honorary captain at the Michigan State spring football game. And then he invited her to campus again in July of 2022 to speak to his players. But during that time is when the incident happened, and their relationship sort of fell apart.
Khan: So, this story refers to Office of Institutional Equity investigation files. This office investigates Title IX violations including sexual harrassment and sexual assault. Tell me more about what you uncovered and what the specific allegations are.
Jacoby: Specifically, what is alleged in the complaint that Brenda filed in December of 2022 is that Mel Tucker came onto her romantically at various times throughout their relationship. She said that he, you know, essentially expressed interest in a romance with her, and she tried to set boundaries with him telling him that she doesn't date coaches, she doesn't date people that she works with. But she said that Mel Tucker continued sort of to pursue her romantically.
But what changed is on an April 28, 2022 phone call, Brenda said that Mel Tucker began making sexual comments about her unexpectedly and then began masturbating on the phone without her consent. This was obviously very upsetting for her, and she said she froze in that moment and she didn't report it immediately. But a few months later, after Mel Tucker canceled her upcoming visit to the school, she suspected that this was the reason why. She ended up talking with him on the phone again. And during that call, she said that he essentially threatened her, that he would destroy her career and her reputation if she spoke out about the incident. And that was sort of the impetus for what led her ultimately to decide to report the incident to the university for an investigation.
Khan: The arguments in this case seem to be almost a classic case of "he says-she says." Even the text messages between the two were deleted. Does either side appear to have a stronger case over the other?
Jacoby: The nature of these incidents is there's often no witnesses, no recordings. And so it does come down, generally, to whose account is more credible. And Tucker and Brenda both spoke with the Title IX investigator and detailed their accounts of the incident which were very different.
Brenda, of course, said that this entire encounter was nonconsensual and that she never had any romantic interest in him, that his interest in her was completely one-sided. Whereas, Mel Tucker said that they had a consensual, mutual attraction to each other and on this call that they had consensual phone sex.
Khan: With MSU’s history with disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, what is at stake with the school?
Jacoby: Michigan State is very much still under a microscope as to how it handles these allegations, particularly because it is responsible for mishandling the sexual abuse allegations by Larry Nassar, one of the most prolific sexual abusers in American history. And so, everybody is watching how they handle this situation.
Khan: So, we know that Mel Tucker signed a $95-million-dollar contract in 2021. If he were to be dismissed from MSU because of this incident, how would it affect the terms of that payment?
Jacoby: Yeah. Mel Tucker has a very interesting contract. He had an extension to his original contract in November 2021. And that was a 10-year $95-million extension. And what was unprecedented about it is that the money came fully guaranteed if he is fired without cause. So, if he loses every game in his tenure, and he's not performing well in his job, he is still entitled to 100% of the money on that contract if the university decides to fire him without cause. The flip side of that is if the university does have cause to fire him because he engages in conduct of moral turpitude, or conduct that brings embarrassment to the university, then he's not owed any of that money.
Jokisch Polo: That was USA TODAY Reporter Kenny Jacoby speaking with WKAR’s Wali Khan.
A hearing on the investigation has been scheduled for early October at MSU. Until then, Tucker has been suspended without pay.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
