Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on MSU complaint against Tucker: 'I want answers'

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expressed a mix of shock, outrage and dismay in response to sexual harassment allegations against Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker.

"As a survivor, I'm shocked. As a Spartan, I'm disappointed. As Governor, I want answers," Whitmer said in a statement issued Monday evening.

Whitmer made national headlines long before she was governor when she spoke publicly on the Senate floor in 2013 about her own sexual assault that took place while she was a student at MSU.

"I know the pain that so many feel when allegations like this come to light because I live it too," Whitmer's statement continued. "It's retraumatizing. MSU holds a special place in so many of our hearts—which is what makes this hurt more."

Brenda Tracy, a prominent rape survivor and activist contrackted by MSU to speak to the school's football team, filed a complaint with the university's Title IX office in December against Tucker. It contained allegations that he made sexual comments about her and masturbated without consent during a phone call. A formal hearing scheduled in October will determine whether Tucker violated MSU policy. The allegations were made public Sunday in a USA Today investigation. MSU suspended Tucker without pay within hours of publication.

Why was this secret for months?: MSU alumni, fans irate over Mel Tucker scandal

Tucker − in a statement released by his attorney − said the allegations from Tracey are "completely false" and he blasted the upcoming hearing process as unfair.

Whitmer said that the public deserves information about MSU's decision-making in response to the allegations from Tracy, including disclosing when the university learned about them.

The allegations against Tucker are not the first that have raised concerns about MSU's handling of sexual misconduct. Former sports doctor Larry Nassar is serving an effective life sentence after sexually abusing hundreds while working for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. The scandal rocked the university, which reached a settlement agreement with survivors.

"We need to ensure that one of our state’s flagship universities, one that carries so much weight around the world, is learning from the past and not recreating it," Whitmer said, appearing to refer to the Nassar scandal. "Spartans, survivors, and Michiganders—we deserve better."

Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer responds to sexual misconduct allegations against Tucker