Mel Tucker’s first head-football coaching job came at the University of Colorado in 2019, where he compiled a win-loss record of 5-7. After his first season at Colorado, Michigan State University came calling and wooed Tucker away from Colorado. The team recorded a 2-5 record in Tucker’s COVID-shortened first season at Michigan State, before turning it around with an 11-2 record in 2021.
That turn-around got Tucker noticed by Louisiana State University, the same school that plucked another head coach from MSU 20+ years ago, and they went after Tucker with financial gusto.
To compete, MSU renegotiated Tucker to a ten-year $95 million contract, because how could you let a guy, with a lifetime coaching record of 18-14, head off to the Southeast Conference. MSU wasn’t going to lose another potential Nick Saban.
I wrote a column in 2021 discussing Tucker’s loyalty. Tucker promised his Colorado players he wasn’t going anywhere a few days before taking the MSU job, and then gushed that MSU was his goal destination not long after he arrived on campus. Obviously, his loyalty was a different kind of green. Two years later it still seems crazy to think that any football coach has that much value.
The average Michigan State academic professor, with a PhD, earns $108,281, which seems like a pretty good salary. Yet, with the money that MSU paid to Tucker they could have funded eighty-seven professors.
Last season, MSU regressed to a 5-7 record under Tucker’s guidance, before starting this season 2-0 against low-level competition. His career college coaching record now stands at 25-21.
And that may be his final record in coaching, because this week USA Today broke a bombshell story about allegations against Tucker that he sexually harassed a woman who was hired by the school to educate athletes against sexual assault. Even Tucker must get the irony of that.
Now a university that is still reeling from the horrible mishandling of disgraced gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, is humiliated again with Mel Tucker. Oh, Mel… Say it isn’t so.
Well, he did. Tucker’s written response, in part, said “…it was an entirely mutual, private event between two adults living at opposite ends of the country. She initiated the discussion that night… and never once during the 36 minutes did she object in any manner.”
Tucker called the accusations false and cited the upcoming hearing to assess whether he violated university policy is “ridiculously flawed and not designed to arrive at the truth.” That sounds like a political response in today’s America.
OK, maybe everything was consensual. Tucker, who has been married for 23 years and has two sons. and his accuser reportedly shared many phone calls, usually in the late-evening hours. As Mrs. Mac noted, “…36 minutes? Why didn’t she just hang up the phone?” Good point.
So, who is the woman who brought this complaint?
Brenda Tracy speaks publicly about her experiences as a rape victim and encourages change as a consultant, which is what brought Tracy to MSU’s campus in 2021.
Tracy founded a nonprofit advocacy organization, after coming forward about her own experience as a rape survivor in 2014, having been raped in 1998. She has since become a champion of legislation supporting victims’ rights and shares her story as a public speaker around the country. MSU paid her $10,000 to speak to the football team about this subject. She was subsequently scheduled to provide more talks at MSU.
Tracy brought her complaint to the University in late-2022, but no one heard about it until USA Today broke the story this week. Tucker had been coaching his team, until MSU got caught this week – another embarrassment.
A university investigation is scheduled for October, which begs the question, why did this take ten months?
It may, or may not, have been a consensual relationship, but it was careless and stupid on Tucker’s part, especially upon considering why Tracy was hired in the first place. Whatever the results of the investigation, the guess here is that Tucker is finished at Michigan State.
And, if that’s the case, it could cost him most of the remaining $80 million on his contract. It should. What future does he have then? I never expected this result with Tucker, but I did not think he was a very good football coach; or that he was worth $95 million. Who is?
This whole mess must be sad, humiliating, embarrassing for Tucker and for Tucker’s family. For fans and people associated with the university, it’s “geeeez, what’s next?” For this Michigan State University grad, I’m pretty embarrassed, too. Hey, MSU, get your act together.
Curt MacRae, lives in Coldwater, MI / publishes rants on rant-able topics at this site.
All published posts are tweeted (@curtmacrae) – direct feedback welcomed at rantsbymac@gmail.com
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