Former Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker is suing the university and school leaders, alleging “unlawful termination” after being fired last September amid sexual harassment allegations.
The 75-page lawsuit claims the university violated Tucker’s constitutional rights to due process and equal protection and conducted an “improper, biased, and sham investigation” designed to fire him. The suit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, also claims the defendants — former MSU interim president Teresa Woodruff, athletic director Alan Haller, general counsel Brian Quinn and the school’s board of trustees — acted against Tucker “on the basis of his race, destroying the career of one of the most prominent and successful Black head coaches in college football.”
Michigan State did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Tucker was fired for cause on Sept. 27, 2023, two-and-a-half weeks after sexual harassment allegations against him made by Brenda Tracy — a rape survivor and activist — became public in a USA Today story. Tracy accused Tucker of making sexual comments and masturbating while on a phone call with her in April 2022 after the two had developed a professional relationship because of her advocacy work. Tracy filed a complaint against Tucker with the MSU’s Title IX office in December, and the school hired an outside Title IX attorney to investigate.
After the allegations became public, Michigan State suspended Tucker without pay. Tucker then made a statement denying Tracy’s allegations and said the phone call in April 2022 was “entirely mutual.”
A university Title IX hearing was scheduled for Oct. 5 and 6, 2023 — during the football team’s idle week — to determine whether Tucker violated school policy. Tucker did not participate in the hearing, with his lawyers saying he would not be available due to a serious medical condition and confidentiality concerns.
Tucker and his lawyers hinted at a potential lawsuit after his firing last year. Nearly one year later, that filing has come, calling actions of school leaders “calculated and intentional,” and asserting they acted with malice and caused “hundreds of millions in damages.”
The Spartans hired Tucker away from Colorado in February 2020. In November 2021, he signed a 10-year, $95 million contract extension, making him one of college football’s highest-paid coaches. At the time of his termination, Tucker had about $80 million remaining on his contract.
(Photo: Matthew Dae Smith / Lansing State Journal / USA Today)
