MSU Terminates Mel Tucker’s $95 Million Contract After Investigation into Alleged Involvement in Phone Sex Call

Michigan State University (MSU) has fired head football coach Mel Tucker after an investigation into his alleged involvement in a consensual phone sex call with an activist and rape survivor.

The school said it terminated what’s left of Tucker’s $95 million, 10-year contract for acknowledging actions that subjected the institution to ridicule, breaching his contract and moral turpitude. The school said it had suspended Tucker in April 2022 after the activist and rape survivor, Brenda Tracy, accused him of sexual harassment during the phone call.

Tracy said she had received a call from Tucker in April 2022, during which he allegedly made inappropriate comments and asked her to engage in phone sex. She said she had refused his advances and reported the incident to the school.

In response to the allegations, MSU launched an investigation and determined that Tucker had failed to present adequate reasons why he should not be fired for cause. The school said it had taken the decision to terminate Tucker’s contract in order to protect the integrity of the institution and its students.

Tucker had been hired by MSU in January 2021 and was set to earn $5.5 million in his first year as head coach. He had previously served as the head coach at the University of Colorado and the University of Georgia.