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Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker has been accused of sexual harassment which has led to an ongoing Title IX investigation into the Spartans coach.
Tucker is being accused of making sexual comments and masturbating without consent during a phone call with rape survivor and activist Brenda Tracy.
Tucker and Tracy had formed a professional relationship “to fight the culture of sexual violence in sports” and Tracy was even invited to campus three times and served as an honorary captain for the team’s spring game.
Unfortunately, that all came to an end during the alleged phone call on April 28, 2022, according to USA TODAY.
“The idea that someone could know me and say they understand my trauma but then re-inflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me, it’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around it,” Tracy said.
“It’s like he sought me out just to betray me.”
We are excited to welcome @brendatracy24 back to campus as our honorary captain for Saturday’s spring game! #SetTheExpectation @STEnonprofit pic.twitter.com/VjLbhM46Zq
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 13, 2022
Tracy said that the phone call reopened wounds from 25 years ago when she was raped by three Oregon State football players and a high school recruit.
Tucker, who is one of the highest-paid coaches in college sports, denies the allegation and said that he and Tracy had consensual phone sex.
“Ms. Tracy’s distortion of our mutually consensual and intimate relationship into allegations of sexual exploitation has really affected me,” Tucker told the investigator. “I am not proud of my judgment and I am having difficulty forgiving myself for getting into this situation, but I did not engage in misconduct by any definition.”
Tucker refused to comment on the case when reached by reporters and the university declined comment.
The Title IX investigation concluded over the summer and a hearing is scheduled during the Spartans’ bye week on October 5 and October 6 to determine if Tucker violated the school’s policy on sexual harassment and exploitation.
