The Michigan State Spartans team is off to a 2-0 start on the 2023 college football season but things have taken a dark turn off the field.
According to ESPN’s Dan Murphy, head coach Mel Tucker is at the center of an “ongoing university sexual harassment investigation.”
Murphy’s sources did not provide details regarding the complaints against Tucker but say that the investigation into him started months ago and is ongoing.
Sources: Michigan State coach Mel Tucker is the subject of a sexual harassment investigation that began months ago. MSU officials did not respond to requests for comment tonight. https://t.co/aXZhxoAdFI
— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) September 10, 2023
ESPN filed a public records request from the state school in July seeking documents related to Tucker and the investigation. However, school interim president Teresa K. Woodruff denied that request, saying that it “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of an individual’s privacy.”
“Under FOIA’s privacy exemption, information is exempt if (1) it is personal in nature, and (2) disclosure would reveal little to nothing about the inner workings of the government. Information is personal in nature when it is intimate, embarrassing, private, or confidential,” Michigan State wrote.
Per Walker, ESPN is considering legal action in order to gain access under Michigan’s open records law.
Tucker is currently in his fourth season at the helm of the program. In November 2021, he signed a $95 million contract, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport. Michigan State sputtered last season, following up the 11-2 campaign with a 5-7 finish.
Per that contract, the school can fire him with cause “if the coach engaged in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or, which in the university’s reasonable judgment, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual harassment or sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
[ESPN]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.