Michigan State president: NCAA investigating ‘potential matter’ with Mel Tucker tenure

The NCAA is looking into Michigan State University’s football program.

Emily Gerkin-Guerrant, the school’s vice president and chief communications, confirmed MSU president Kevin Guskiewicz has acknowledged the probe of the football program eyeing the tenure of former coach Mel Tucker from 2020-23.

“Michigan State Athletics has cooperated with the NCAA to review a potential matter concerning the football program under the former staff and will continue to do so for the duration of the process,” the school’s athletic department said in a statement Thursday. “NCAA rules do not permit the University to provide any additional details at this time.”

MSU did not immediately respond to request for comment on whether this inquiry was self-reported or initiated by the NCAA.

Tucker was 20-14 overall and 12-13 in Big Ten play during his three-plus seasons as MSU’s head coach before being fired after coaching two games in 2023.

After the Spartans’ winningest coach in school history Mark Dantonio abruptly retired Feb. 4, 2020, then-MSU athletic director Bill Beekman hired Tucker eight days later on Feb. 12.

Tucker went 2-5 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, including an upset win at Michigan, then in 2021 went 11-2 to finish No. 8 in the country after a Peach Bowl victory over Pitt. As rumors spread of potential interest from other programs during that season, donors scurried and hurried to fund a 10-year, $95 million extension for Tucker that did not include a buyout clause.

That turned out to be his high point and the Spartans have not made a bowl game since. MSU went 5-7 in 2022, and Tucker was suspended two games into the 2023 season for alleged sexual improprieties during a spring 2022 phone call with prominent rape survivor and women’s rights activist Brenda Tracy. Tracy filed a Title IX with the university in December 2022.

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The school fired Tucker with cause for violating the moral turpitude clause in his contract on Sept. 27, 2023, and the Spartans limped to a 4-8 finish and another postseason at home. He was due roughly $75 million through 2032 before being fired for violating the moral turpitude portion of his contract. The university in an October 2023 decision determined Tucker sexually harassed Tracy, a violation of school policy.

Tucker filed a wrongful termination suit against MSU in July 2024, and the 53-year-old Cleveland native has been embroiled in a number of other legal matters, including a divorce and a defamation suit brought by Tracy. His wife accused him in the divorce proceedings of spending more than $1.5 million from their joint line of credit for his legal defense.

Guskiewicz, named MSU’s president two months after Tucker’s termination, told the Detroit News editorial board on Wednesday he has a meeting next week on the NCAA issue. He did not elaborate on specifics of MSU’s situation.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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