Mel Tucker, head football coach for Michigan State University, has been suspended without pay due to allegations of sexual harassment. 

The accuser is Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor and advocate for ending sexual violence. 

Tucker first initiated contact with Tracy two years ago, when he had her travel to Michigan State to talk to his players and staff about her advocacy work. Tracy would then visit the campus two more times.

In April of last year, Tracy and Tucker had a phone call that led to Tracy filing a complaint with Michigan State's Title IX office due to the allegedly nonconsensual sexual nature of the phone call. 

On Monday, less than 24 hours after Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller suspended Tucker without pay, Mel Tucker and his lawyer released a statement. 

In his statement, Tucker denied all claims of sexual harassment against Brenda Tracy. Referring to the phone call that sparked the Title IX complaint, Tucker said in the statement,

“Yes, I did have a late-night intimate conversation with Ms. Tracy in April of 2022…it was an entirely mutual, private event between two adults living at opposite ends of the country. She initiated the discussion that night, sent me a provocative picture of the two of us together, suggested what she may look like without clothes, and never once during the 36 minutes did she object in any manner, much less hang up the phone.”

Tucker is one of the highest-paid college coaches in the country. In 2021, Tucker signed a 10-year $95 million contract with Michigan State. In his statement, Tucker claimed that these allegations were a way for Michigan State to get out of paying him his full contract. 

This 2023 season is Tucker's fourth season with the Spartans and he holds an overall record of 20-14. Defensive staff member, Harlon Barnett, has been named as the acting head coach in lieu of Tucker's suspension. 

A formal hearing with Michigan State officials is scheduled for October 5 and 6 to decide whether Tucker violated the school's policy surrounding sexual harassment. 

The Spartans are currently 2-0, but it is hard to say how the suspension of their head coach and the negative attention that the school is receiving will affect the team. Conference games begin on September 23 for Michigan State. 

* Originally published on September 15, 2023, by Bella Nevin