MSU fires Tucker for bringing ‘ridicule’ to program
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Michigan State University has fired football coach Mel Tucker for cause Wednesday, formally completing a process that was initiated last week.
Tucker is under university investigation for a sexual misconduct complaint brought by Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault awareness speaker.
In a statement, the university said it had terminated Tucker’s contract “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.”
Michigan State suspended Tucker without pay Sept. 10, and athletic director Alan Haller informed Tucker in a letter Sept. 18 that the university intended to fire him for cause. The school opened up an investigation into Tracy’s complaint back in December 2022, and there remains an upcoming university hearing on the matter.
The formal firing loomed as the final step in the university separating from Tucker, who has nearly $79 million remaining on his contract. By firing him for cause, Michigan State is attempting to not pay Tucker any of the remaining money.
Haller claimed in the letter that the school had “amassed a body of undisputed evidence of misconduct that warrants termination for cause.”
Tucker and his attorneys pushed back in pointed language against the firing for cause in a statement last week and in a letter from his attorneys Monday that called the proposed termination “unjustified for several reasons.” In a statement Sept. 19, Tucker said MSU “does not care about my rights, the truth, or its future liability for policing its employees’ private lives.”
Haller said in Wednesday’s termination notice that Tucker’s responses provided “a litany of excuses.”
“Simply put, Mr. Tucker’s response does not provide any information that refutes or undermines the multiple grounds for termination for cause set forth in the notice,” Haller said in a statement Wednesday. “Instead, his 25-page response, which includes a 12-page letter from his attorney and a 13-page ‘expert report,’ provides a litany of excuses for his inappropriate behavior while expressly admitting to the problematic conduct outlined in the notice.”
Tucker’s responses included the formal response from his attorneys within the seven-day window that MSU had noted in the Sept. 18 letter that it was contractually required to give him. The 25-page formal response argued point by point, at times, with MSU.
Those responses have set the stage for a potential legal battle over the remaining $79 million on his contract.
“I look forward to one day obtaining discovery against MSU, including the Trustees and the Athletic Department, to see what they really knew and said about this matter, as well as their motives in handling the entire investigative process,” Tucker said in his statement Sept. 19.
In her complaint, Tracy claims Tucker masturbated without her consent during a phone call in April 2022. Tucker denies that encounter wasn’t consensual and added that the investigator acknowledged a “personal relationship” between them.
“The conversations Tucker had with Ms. Tracy regarding her appearance, flirtation, and phone sex, occurred exclusively in their private lives, unrelated to either Tucker’s work or her work, and were entirely consensual,” said the letter from Tucker’s lawyers Monday.
Despite the firing, a hearing to decide whether Tucker violated university policy will still take place in early October. Tucker’s lawyers have pushed back on the university’s investigation, calling it “terribly flawed, unfair, biased, and devoid of due process.”
They also criticized the school’s ability to keep confidentiality after a story by USA Today in early September detailed the allegations against Tucker. Tracy and her lawyer said they were compelled to share the information after they received word her name had leaked out. The school has hired a law firm, Jones Day, to look into the alleged leak.
Tucker’s career at Michigan State officially concludes with a 20-14 record, which includes an 11-2 campaign in 2021 that ended with a Peach Bowl victory. The Spartans reached as high as No. 5 in the nation that year, and MSU brass rewarded Tucker with a 10-year, $95 million contract that made him among the highest-paid coaches in the sport.
Harlon Barnett has been the acting head coach since Tucker’s suspension and will be elevated to interim head coach, subject to board approval, in October. Michigan State has lost its first two games under Barnett by a combined score of 72-16.
The Spartans play at Iowa on Saturday night.
ESPN’s Dan Murphy contributed to this report.
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Max Olson
FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.
After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024
Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.
After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.
“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”
They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.
“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”
Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.
“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”
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Jesse Rogers
The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.
MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.
The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.
MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.
MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.
As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.
The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.
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