Mel Tucker sues MSU, claiming school violated his right to due process when he was fired
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Mel Tucker of the Michigan State Spartans looks on in the fourth quarter of a game agains the Richmond Spiders at Spartan Stadium on September 09, 2023 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulhol
EAST LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Former Michigan State University head football coach Mel Tucker is suing the school and officials after he was fired last year following sexual harassment claims.
In the lawsuit, which names former interim President Teresa Woodruff, board of trustee members, and others, Tucker's attorney says "his constitutional rights
to due process and equal protection". The suit also says that his employment agreement was violated when he was fired after Brenda Tracy claimed that Tucker sexually harassed her.
Tucker was first suspended and then fired when the accusations came to light last year. Tracy first filed a complaint with the school in late 2022. She later filed a complaint with the school’s Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education.
Report finds no evidence of leak in Mel Tucker investigation
No evidence was found that someone at Michigan State University leaked Brenda Tracy's name after she reported Mel Tucker for sexual harassment, according to an investigation by law firm Jones Day.
The coach was let go by the university before a hearing where it was found that Tucker violated several terms of his contract.
"The Defendants ultimately terminated Plaintiff’s contract on transparently pretextual grounds without first providing Plaintiff a hearing to confront the false accusation against him, as required under University rules and as a matter of law, in gross violation of Plaintiff’s right to due process," Tucket's attorney wrote.
The lawsuit claims that the school handled the reports the way it did because administrators feared backlash that other leaders faced in the wake of the Larry Nasser scandal.
The lawsuit also alleges that Tucker was targeted for being Black.
"The actions taken against Plaintiff stand in stark contrast to the manner in which the Defendants treated his white counterparts who, in the face of far more serious allegations, had no such similar action taken against them," the suit says.
Tucker is seeking compensation for lost wages and legal fees. He had about $80 million left on a $95 million contract when he was fired.