Mel Tucker Suspended Without Pay, Hearing Pending
I’m shocked it happened this fast, but viewed in the shadow of the Nassar incident also not surprised. Really hope they can get their act together organizationally, football be damned.
EDIT - changed title to reflect actual known state of things - LSA
September 10th, 2023 at 7:40 PM ^
Was thinking about that. Tucker will undoubtedly get some kind of settlement.
But…then what? MSU kinda already set their market. Any time they offer a coach less than what Tuck got, it’ll be a clear message that the university doesn’t like that coach as much as they liked Tuck. Or that the expectations are lower.
This is the problem with over-paying once: you end up overpaying forever, or else sacrificing quality.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:05 PM ^
Any recruits we can get in the aftermath of all this?
September 10th, 2023 at 4:17 PM ^
I don't think they had any this year.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:22 PM ^
Nick marsh
September 10th, 2023 at 4:52 PM ^
Would any of MSU's recent recruits even make Michigan's team? Serious question...
September 10th, 2023 at 5:03 PM ^
We would probably take a bunch given the scholarship limit was increased to infinity at some point in the last couple years. The real question would be, how many could crack the 2 deep? Over under at 3….
September 10th, 2023 at 4:06 PM ^
FWIW: Auerbach and Chris Solari say not fired. Latter says suspended with pay pending outcome of the Title IX hearing (he's fired on October 6th)
September 10th, 2023 at 4:17 PM ^
That makes complete sense, just in terms of buttoning up the case for firing him for cause.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:17 PM ^
So, he's gone, but officially not until 10/6.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:07 PM ^
Also, I understand MSU is in full damage control mode, but being ready to fire him right now seems like it undermines your whole argument that you were waiting for an investigation to finish.
I mean, if MSU were the ones to release this story it would make sense to be ready to fire him immediately, but if your excuse for saying nothing for so long was "investigation" well then why are you ready to fire him in 24 hours when the story breaks?
September 10th, 2023 at 7:47 PM ^
Maybe the school wasn't involved in the leak, and the suspension is a stopgap. They had to settle for less than the firing.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:12 PM ^
I understand that every coach thinks that they are going to win but if you have $95 million on the line. Why? Why? Why? Would you risk getting fired.
Not shocked that Mork is back. Osu would bring back Urban or Tressel if it means they can beat Michigan
September 10th, 2023 at 4:26 PM ^
Urban Meyer to MSU confirmed.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:30 PM ^
Missouri State University?
And I still don’t think he would say Michigan
September 10th, 2023 at 4:16 PM ^
Update: CBS has updated their reporting to say Tucker has been suspended, with pay, rather than fired. All reports right now, no official statements that I am aware of.
That said, I don't know how he can possibly recruit when everybody knows what he does on the phone with women.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:16 PM ^
Well get ready for the Dion hype…
September 10th, 2023 at 4:19 PM ^
He'll stay at CU until his sons finish (they've both used their free transfers) and will then have much better options than the, at best, 9th best program in the Big Ten.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:20 PM ^
no he's going to Belmont(s)
September 10th, 2023 at 5:43 PM ^
That's not even a lateral move.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:18 PM ^
It is a mystery to me why anyone would do what Tucker has been accused of doing. Never mind doing it when you have achieved as much as he has, and the actions will result of ruining your entire life. I cannot comprehend it
September 10th, 2023 at 5:07 PM ^
He clearly has some serious problem(s). I can't put everything on the man, but iirc he was there at the beat down in the tunnel and rushed away instead of taking control of his players. There are whispers of bad behaviour when he was in Colorado, though I'm only echoing internet stuff and I have no details.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:09 PM ^
Thank whatever force/deity/emptiness you believe in, that you cant.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:21 PM ^
"Ruin" is a bit of an exaggeration unless his family actually falls apart. A year from now, he'll be HC of a smaller program and still pulling in a healthy paycheck. Is he likely to end up on the streets? Slim to none.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:43 PM ^
Louis C.K. is performing in small comedy clubs. Other than Liberty University or some similarly creepy place you're not going to find anyone willing to hire Tucker. He doesn't have a great coaching record and he has tons of baggage.
September 10th, 2023 at 6:20 PM ^
I can't imagine his wife will stay with him either. The cheating is one thing, but the article also straight up goes into him admitting/saying how bad their marriage was. So, this will probably ruin his family, I feel for his wife & kids (and, she's also going to be furious financially; his wife & kids lost that $80mill as much as he did)
But, unless he's a moron with money, he's made enough already to never work another day and still be able to live a great lifestyle (though more modest than what he otherwise would've). He'll get some other woman on the back of that money and fade into obscurity I'm sure.
September 10th, 2023 at 7:50 PM ^
"Fade into obscurity" being the best case scenario.
September 10th, 2023 at 6:17 PM ^
How would your wife react if she found out you potentially forfeited $80M of GUARANTEED income because you jacked off over the phone with another woman? Oh, and it made national news.
Maybe your wife is more forgiving than mine...my family would be broken/ruined and so would my life.
September 10th, 2023 at 6:30 PM ^
If the end of an apparently already lousy marriage is by itself a "ruining" of one's life, I guess you could call his life potentially ruined. Not sure I agree; like a poster said above, this is probably a year-ish of total suck, maybe a bit more, then continuing life with the millions already stashed away.
September 10th, 2023 at 6:44 PM ^
Coaches do have a big safety net, but if it is indeed true, he won’t be hired in college again. Period. NFL is different, but he is done in college. Louis CK does still perform, but you can’t solo a football team, you need to be hired
September 10th, 2023 at 4:20 PM ^
Bye Mel!
MSU needs to clean house top to bottom. Their sexual assault culture/cover up pattern just continues.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:08 PM ^
One dollar says they don't and your post would read better five years from now as, "MSU sexual assault culture/cover up pattern just continues."
September 10th, 2023 at 4:20 PM ^
the allegations that I've heard are so revolting and so telling of someone who felt protected by the power of his position. Imagine sexually harassing a sexual assault prevention advocate. What a pathetic little man who needed to feel that powerful by doing that
September 10th, 2023 at 4:25 PM ^
He pushed the issue multiple times too. Can you image giving up $80 million to harass someone that teaches sexual misconduct classes to people I’m hoping he was on some major drugs
September 10th, 2023 at 4:28 PM ^
Gotta be CTE or some sort of TBI
September 10th, 2023 at 5:11 PM ^
Strange, CTE is where my mind went too. Could also just be drugs or alcohol. He is acting like the aforementioned untouchable position of authority, mixed with some depression and likely self deprecation. It sounds like he almost wanted to objectify the most likely person to out him and free him from his misery. It's almost Dostoyevsky-esque.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:57 PM ^
Or he's just an evil perv.
September 10th, 2023 at 7:09 PM ^
occams razor
September 11th, 2023 at 1:40 PM ^
I was replying to Putin, so romantic Slavic literature sounded most true. But I'll admit it's probably simply what you said.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:20 PM ^
Do this to a woman that you bring in TO TEACH your school about sexual misconduct….. there’s no way on earth he could be this dumb !!! And he kept pushing the issue , seems insane. ! You think he be able to buy a hooker or two with $80 million
September 10th, 2023 at 5:13 PM ^
My guess is this isn't the only woman he has done this to. Probably many women, could have been prostitutes, and sadly few if any of them will come forward.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:25 PM ^
$80 mil will buy you a lot of hookers, booze and dancers. But mainly hookers.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:46 PM ^
That is illegal too. On the other hand, there are untold numbers of women he could have met on tinder and similar places to do this and no one other than his wife would have cared. It’s immoral, abusive, and stupid beyond belief. It seems like he’s just suspended now, but guy deserves to be fired, even if his inconsistent version is true.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:20 PM ^
Either way, I'm surprised that he wasn't suspended back in December when Tracy made her complaint. It's not like they had a bowl game to prepare for. It's almost as if MSU just doesn't know how to learn from their past mistakes.
September 10th, 2023 at 5:16 PM ^
The MSU Board of Trustees is a dumpster fire.
They can’t find a University President with any kind of integrity because of shit like this. The last time they had someone who shared their values, it was Engler, and I 100% believe that he quit because of an oncoming embezzlement investigation
September 10th, 2023 at 6:21 PM ^
Yep. They should have suspended him once the investigation started in December. They doubled down on their stupidity by not suspending him in March when he admitted to masturbating while on the phone with her (Tracy is basically an MSU paid consultant, so this directly harms MSU and is not just Mel's personal life). Then they tripled down by not suspending him on the 25th when the first al report was concluded.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:23 PM ^
Oh please let us whoop on dantonio
September 10th, 2023 at 4:24 PM ^
McMurphy walking back his own report now, because he really isn't a very good reporter. (You'll note he didn't get the detail about Brenda Tracy while USA Today did)
September 10th, 2023 at 4:25 PM ^
Tuck gone. Not surprised. His Monday presser and subsequent interviews would have all been about the allegations and upcoming hearing. MSU should have anticipated the investigation being discovered. Now the billable hours by attorneys can really start.
September 10th, 2023 at 4:25 PM ^
EVEN IF we, as a thought exercise, view this thru green and white tinted lenses (and that very notion makes me queasy)...
Let's pretend that Tracy reciprocated Mel's advances to some extent. Sure, not super professional, but consenting adults yada yada yada. But per Mel's OWN statement, he said that Tracy said 'fine you can crank it to my voice on the phone one time but that's it'
Come one, really? That's absurd on its face and in the 1 in a million scenario where Mel is telling the truth, it's almost certainly because Tracy is saying that to appease a sex pest who isn't taking no for an answer