Michigan State University fired Mel Tucker nearly a year ago. Here’s what’s happened since

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Michigan State University fired Mel Tucker nearly a year ago. Here’s what’s happened since

EAST LANSING — It’s been a year since Michigan State University suspended Mel Tucker before eventually ******* him following a USA Today story that detailed a long-running ******* harassment investigation.

A

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and the

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, but the book can’t quite be closed on the scandal that ended Tucker’s time in East Lansing.

Here’s a look at what’s happened in the past year and what still needs a resolution.

How we got here

The

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in the early hours of Sept. 10, following MSU’s 45-14 win over Richmond, the first public report to reveal that Tucker had been under investigation by the university for nearly a year. The story also included an interview with Brenda Tracy, the woman who filed the complaint.

Tracy is a prominent national advocate for ******* ******** survivors. She’s spoken to college athletes across the country, including to MSU’s football team, as part of her nonprofit Set The Expectation.

In December 2022, Tracy filed her complaint with the university and said that during a phone call the previous April, Tucker made ******* comments about her and masturbated.

Tucker has denied any wrongdoing and said that he and Tracy had an intimate and consensual relationship.

MSU Athletic Director Alan Haller suspended Tucker without pay on the day the story published, and fired him for cause on Sept. 27.

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How much of Mel Tucker’s contract is guaranteed?

About two years before Haller fired Tucker, the coach signed one of the most-lucrative contract extensions in the history of college sports.

The deal was worth about

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across a decade, unless MSU fired him for cause. The contract included specific language that set out the reasons such termination could happen. When Haller cited those stipulated grounds in Tucker’s termination letter, the contract had about $80 million in guaranteed salary remaining.

Tucker filed his lawsuit in federal court on July 31. He named the university, the entire Board of Trustees, Haller, General Counsel Brian Quinn and former interim President Teresa Woodruff as defendants. MSU hired its new president last winter and Woodruff ******** at the university.

In April, Tucker’s wife Jo Ellyn filed for divorce in Ingham County Circuit Court and, in a court filing,

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, from their ****** funds without notice.

More: MSU president Teresa Woodruff: I and the board didn’t know details of Tucker complaint until Sunday

Tucker sues MSU over ‘sham investigation’

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, Tucker accused the school of conducting an “improper, biased, and sham investigation” designed to ***** him, violating his right to due process. Tucker, a ****** man, also accuses school officials of discriminating against him based on his race.

Tucker’s lawsuit against MSU is ongoing. The university could file its response — or a motion for summary judge or motion to dismiss — as soon as mid-September, although extensions for filing deadlines are common.

Last year, contract and sports law experts told the State Journal that they expected an expensive and ugly litigation with one estimate putting a possible settlement in the $10 to $15 million range.

But that’s not the only lawsuit connected to the scandal.

About a month after Tucker was fired, Tracy filed a lawsuit against him that

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from a phone owned by Tracy’s friend and assistant who ***** in a car ******. Tucker’s attorneys said the text messages confirm his claim that he and Tracy had a consensual relationship.

His attorneys argued in Ingham County Circuit Court that Tucker did not improperly obtain the phone or its contents and therefore Tracy’s lawsuit should be dismissed. In May, Judge Wanda Stokes agreed with them.

More: Experts: Ugly court ****** between former coach Mel Tucker, MSU likely

Title IX investigation found Tucker violated school rulesdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Brenda Tracy attends the Michigan State University Board of Trustees meeting at the Hannah Administration Building in East Lansing, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.

The Title IX investigation that preceded Tucker’s ******* started in December 2022 and concluded in January 2024, following his ******* appeal effort.

The university hired outside attorneys to both conduct the initial investigation, which found he violated policy, and adjudicate his appeal. In the appeal, Tucker’s attorneys reiterated arguments made throughout the investigation, including that the school lacked jurisdiction to investigate his private life and that the investigator was biased against him.

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, with the determination that the investigator “had a reasonable basis for each of the challenged findings.”

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MSU spent more than $1 million on ***** investigations

Before any of the lawsuits found their way to court, MSU hired the law firm Jones Day to investigate whether Tracy’s identity or other confidential information related to the Title IX investigation had been improperly shared by university officials and others.

Tracy had said that she did not intend to make her case public before a hearing set for October 2023. In a statement last year, her attorney said an “outside source” leaked Tracy’s identity, leading to USA Today’s story being published.

The State Journal reported in December that the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan was also billing MSU for work related to the ***** investigation, but not to work with Jones Day. The second firm was representing Trustee Rema Vassar, who at the time was board chair.

Combined, the two law firms billed the university for about $850,000. Jones Day couldn’t find any evidence that school officials leaked Tracy’s name.

USA Today reporter Kenny Jacoby contributed to this story. Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or *****@*****.tld.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal:

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