Michigan State University’s former head football coach Mel Tucker has sued his former employer for wrongful termination over what he contends were baseless sexual harassment allegations.
His lawsuit argues campus leaders still owe him an $80 million balance from a lucrative, 10-year contract extension he signed in 2021 for $95 million, the Detroit News reported.
Tucker alleges he was afforded no due process and administrators got rid of him because they wanted to protect the university’s image after MSU’s infamous Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal, one of the biggest cases involving college sexual abuse in America’s history.
“The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of treating Tucker unfairly because he is Black and of finding a reason to fire him to avoid the university’s contractual obligations,” the Detroit News reported.
If Tucker can prove MSU fired him without cause, he could be eligible for a big payout.
The sexual harassment allegations center on a phone call Tucker had in April 2022 with Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault survivor and activist who led educational workshops for the team.
“Tucker allegedly made sexual comments about her and masturbated during the call that she said was unwanted. Tucker later said the phone call was an ‘entirely mutual, private event between two adults living at opposite ends of the country,” the Detroit News reported.
When he was fired in September 2023, the university said in a statement he was let go “for his admitted and undisputed behaviors which have brought public disrespect, contempt and ridicule upon the university; and constitute a material breach of his agreement, and moral turpitude.”
The lawsuit alleges Tracy tried to extort Tucker after his big contract extension, citing text messages Tracy sent to a longtime friend obtained by Tucker’s legal team, the News reported:
Tracy texted [the friend Alvarado] on Nov. 26, 2021, “I cant (sic) even wrap my brain around 95 million. Sheesh . . . Can you imagine around 700k going into your bank account every month. Every month … We’re gonna make it happen … I’m gonna ask him to finance the doc part of it … He’ll do it.”
The lawsuit claims “the doc part of it” referred to promotional literature about her business. Tucker’s lawsuit claims reference to his contract signaled her focus.
“Evidence obtained by the counsel for plaintiff after plaintiff’s unlawful termination by MSU – i.e., text message communications which Tracy did not disclose to MSU during the investigation of her claims – demonstrates that Tracy was acutely focused on plaintiff’s lucrative November 2021 contract extension and hoped to convince plaintiff to personally fund her business,” he asserts in the suit.
Before Tracy filed her complaint with MSU, the lawsuit claims, she texted Alvarado in December 2022 saying her lawyer told her they could let Tucker know they wanted a settlement and the complaint would not have to have a hearing unless Tracy wanted one. She reportedly wrote to Alvarado in September 2022, “(w)hen they do the money I should make him (referring to plaintiff) pay me 10k directly.”
Tracy also texted Alvarado 11 days before she filed her complaint with the university, according to the case, saying she “was down to $5.”
MSU declined to comment to the News regarding the lawsuit, saying it had yet to be served.
The complaint also seeks damages for potential loss of earning wages. Tucker had been a successful football coach for nearly three decades when MSU terminated his employment last year.
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IMAGE: MSU website screenshot
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