MSU's Mel Tucker suspended after accusations of sexual harassment made public: What we know

LANSING — Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker was suspended without pay on Sunday. He is the subject of a Title IX investigation after a woman with ties to the program accused him of sexual harassment. A USA Today report published early Sunday details the allegations Brenda Tracy, a national sexual violence prevention advocate, made against Tucker. Tucker denies Tracy's characterization of their relationship.

Here's what we know:

What is Mel Tucker accused of?

The football coach is accused of making sexual comments and having unwanted phone sex with Tracy on April 28, 2022. According to the Title IX report, Tucker said the phone sex was consensual.

The two had known each other through Tracy's work with young athletes, including football players at MSU.

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Who is Brenda Tracy?

Tracy, the woman who levied the allegations against Tucker, is a rape survivor and activist who works with young athletes to address the issue of sexual violence. She led a training session with MSU football players in 2021 and served as the honorary captain for the Spartans spring football game in 2022.

She filed a Title IX report in December 2022.

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What does Mel Tucker say about allegations?

Tucker in his statements to the Title IX investigator denies Tracy's allegations. He acknowledged masturbating on the call but said Tracy grossly mischaracterized the episode. According to him, they 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 wrote in a March 22 letter to 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.”

Reached by USA TODAY on his cell phone Saturday night, Tucker hung up after a reporter mentioned the case.

Who investigated the allegations?

MSU hired Rebecca Leitman Veidlinger, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Title IX attorney, to conduct the investigation into the allegations against Tucker.

A former Indiana sex crimes prosecutor who now heads a private practice, she also previously worked in the Title IX offices at Michigan State and the University of Michigan.

Veidlinger delivered her final 106-page investigation report in July. Per Title IX and school policy, she did not issue a finding of fault in her final report, but instead summarized the facts and referred the case for a hearing.

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What's next in the Title IX investigation?

There will be a Title IX hearing in early October during which both sides will have the opportunity to present evidence and make arguments. Another outside Title IX attorney hired by the school will then decide whether the evidence shows that Tucker likely violated school rules.

What is Mel Tucker's future at MSU?

The university suspended Tucker on Sunday and named Harlon Barnett as the Spartans acting head football coach.

Tucker has $80 million remaining on the 10-year, $95 million contract that he signed in 2021.

Former longtime coach Mark Dantonio will return to the program as associate head coach.

Kenny Jacoby of USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State's Mel Tucker accused of sexual harassment: What we know