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EAST LANSING, Mich. — An appeal by former Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker of findings in a sexual misconduct case that led to his firing has been denied.

An attorney hired by the East Lansing school as an equity review officer said in a decision dated Wednesday that Tucker failed to provide information that proved error or bias.

Tucker told investigators that he had consensual phone sex with activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy. Tracy is known for her work with college teams educating athletes about sexual violence, and Michigan State had paid her $10,000 to share her story with the football team.

She filed a complaint with the school in 2022, saying Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call that April. Several months later, she filed a complaint with the school’s office for civil rights and Title IX education.

Tracy’s allegations were made public by USA Today on Sept. 10.

Tucker was suspended in September, and Michigan State fired him later that month. The school said it terminated Tucker after he subjected the institution to ridicule and breached his contract, and cited moral turpitude.

A resolution officer concluded in October that Tucker engaged in behavior that violated the school’s relationship violence and sexual misconduct and Title IX policy by sexually harassing and sexually exploiting Tracy.

In a post Thursday on X, Tracy thanked those who believed and supported her.

“It’s been a 13 month long nightmare,” Tracy wrote. “Tucker was found responsible for sexual harassment & exploitation and today his appeal was denied.”

Messages seeking comment were left Thursday with Tucker’s attorney, Jennifer Belveal, and agent, Neil Cornrich.

Tucker was in the third year of a $95 million, 10-year contract. He was due to earn about $80 million remaining on the deal.

He began his coaching career with Nick Saban as a graduate assistant for the Spartans in 1997. He returned to the school with one of the biggest contracts in college sports after leading Colorado for one season and serving as an assistant coach at Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State.

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After shooting, FSU’s Pritchard to attend game

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After shooting, FSU's Pritchard to attend game

Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard has been released from in-patient rehab and is expected to attend the Seminoles’ final home game of the season against Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Pritchard returned to Tallahassee on Friday and visited with the team.

He plans to continue his rehab back home in Central Florida, and told WESH-TV in an interview his plan is to play football again.

Pritchard was shot in the back of the head Aug. 31 in what the authorities have described as a case of mistaken identity. He was dropping his aunt and a child off following a family party in Havana, Fla., about 16 miles from Tallahassee, near the Georgia state line.

Four people were arrested last month in connection with the shooting.

Pritchard told WESH, “I remember everything. I turned the corner and shots rang off. I put the car in reverse and just backed up and after that, I don’t remember what else happened.”

Pritchard spent nearly six weeks in the hospital in Tallahassee before moving to a rehab center in Jacksonville. In the interview with WESH, Pritchard said he could not move his right side when he arrived at the rehab facility.

But early one morning, he woke up his dad, Earl, because he could finally move his arm.

“After that, it just got better and better,” Ethan Pritchard said.

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Arrest made in shooting of ‘Last Chance U’ coach

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Arrest made in shooting of 'Last Chance U' coach

OAKLAND, Calif. — A suspect has been arrested in the shooting of college football coach John Beam, who was featured in the Netflix show “Last Chance U” and remains in critical condition after being shot on the school’s campus, the Oakland Police Department and other authorities said Friday.

Few other details were available. It was the second time in two days that there was a shooting at a school in Oakland.

Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a “giant” and a mentor, educator and lifeline for young people.

“For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family,” Lee said.

The Netflix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges looking to turn their lives around. Beam’s Laney College Eagles starred in the 2020 season.

Two of Beam’s former players, brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, who currently play in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, posted on social media after the shooting.

“You mean the world to me,” Rejzohn Wright said in a post with a photo of Beam.

His brother posted a photo of the coach with a broken heart emoji.

Beam, currently serving as athletic director, began at Laney College in 2004 as a running backs coach before eventually becoming head coach in 2012, winning two league titles. Twenty of his players have gone on to the NFL, according to his biography on Laney College’s website.

“The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting and deeply concerned for his well-being,” Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for Peralta Community College District, said in an emailed statement on Beam’s current medical status. “We are stunned and heartbroken that such violence has touched our campus.”

The Thursday shooting came a day after a student got shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student is in stable condition.

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Sources: Virginia QB Morris could return vs. Duke

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Sources: Virginia QB Morris could return vs. Duke

Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris is progressing toward returning to play on Saturday, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

There is optimism that Morris will start for Virginia at Duke as he continues to work his way through concussion protocol. A final decision on his status is not expected until game time, sources added.

Morris exited last week’s loss to Wake Forest after taking a hit to the head in the second quarter. He was taken to the locker room before being ruled out for the remainder of the game, finishing 3-of-6 for 19 yards and 6 rushing yards before his injury. Morris has thrown for 2,088 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season.

If Morris is not cleared to play, backup quarterback Daniel Kaelin will get the nod. The sophomore came on in relief of Morris last week but could never get the Virginia offense going, finishing 18-of-28 for 145 yards and 49 yards rushing, although he lost two costly fumbles in the 16-9 loss.

The loss ended Virginia’s seven-game winning streak and was its first in ACC play. The Cavaliers are now in a five-way tie atop the ACC standings with four other teams that have one conference loss, including Duke.

ESPN’s Andrea Adelson contributed to this story.

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