(WXYZ) — An investigation by Michigan State University has found former head football coach Mel Tucker responsible for violating the school's sexual harassment policy.
That report concluded that Tucker did sexually harass Brenda Tracy. That's according to USA Today and the reporter who first revealed the claims against Tucker back in September.
Tracy is a prominent rape survivor and advocate for sexual assault prevention. Ironically, she met Tucker when he brought her in to speak to his football team about sexual assault.
The 73-page ruling came down this afternoon and determined Tucker harassed Tracy when he sexually gratified himself over the phone without her consent in April of 2022.
Tucker reportedly expressed remorse for the call but also insisted that the phone sex was consensual.
According to USA Today, the hearing officer found that Tucker also made unwanted sexual advances toward Tracy in the months leading up to the harassment.
After engaging in the unwanted phone sex, Tracy claimed that Tucker retaliated against her, canceling her next speaking engagement with MSU’s team.
Tucker was fired by MSU a month ago, weeks after the allegations first surfaced, and potentially costing him nearly $80 million.
Through his attorney, he has said legal action is likely.
We have made calls to MSU for comment on this breaking story. So far, we've not heard back. Tracy's attorney released the following statement:
"On behalf of my client Brenda Tracy, a prominent activist and rape survivor, I can confirm that the Resolution Officer (a neutral decision maker) determined by a preponderance of the evidence that Mel Tucker engaged in behavior that violated the Michigan State University - Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct and Title IX Policy (RVSM) by sexually harassing and sexually exploiting Brenda Tracy. We will not be commenting further at this time."
Tucker still has time to appeal the ruling, if he chooses. The decision isn’t considered final until the appeal window is closed.
On Thursday morning, Tucker's attorneys released a statement on his behalf. It said:
"The school’s decision following a hearing that Coach Mel Tucker was medically unable to attend – and which his lawyers were likewise precluded from attending in his absence – accordingly comes as absolutely no surprise.
The decision is fraught with countless factual and legal errors, all of which will be the subject of an immediate appeal and subsequent lawsuit if necessary. The appeal will include evidence recently discovered and previously suppressed by Ms. Tracy.
The Hearing and Decision are purely academic, as the purpose of the Hearing was ostensibly to determine what if any punishment (reprimand, suspension, fine, or termination) would be imposed if the Coach were found responsible. Since the school chose to issue a termination PRIOR to the Hearing, the Decision is of zero practical import and merely reflects the biased and completely dysfunctional administration of the school’s OIE office. The notion that the Hearing would overturn the school’s PRIOR termination, given the documented procedural and substantive error, omissions, and misfeasance, is beyond the realm of reasonable possibility.
It is worth noting that while Ms. Tracy has attempted to suppress her OWN prior statements on privacy grounds, she provided USA Today the Hearing Officer’s entire 70-page report within minutes of its intended confidential issuance, knowing that the Appeal Process had not yet even begun. This of course speaks to Ms. Tracy’s professed intention to abide by the very Administrative process she invoked."
