Did Michigan State University do any due diligence on Mel Tucker at all? How could they not see this coming? He was a questionable hire, on just football, on-the-field stuff alone, given his track record. Were they aware of how he was one of the worst Chicago Bears coordinators of all time? (and that really says something, given how John Schoop is included among that grouping).
Okay, maybe they dropped the ball on that, but did they see his time at the podium for 2021 Big Ten Media Day- when he went beyond the pale of parody?
How could anyone watch his “meat and potatoes, no French pastries, hard-nosed, blue-collar, lunch-pail, hard-hat, physical, relentless, program of the people” stand-up routine and actually take this man, seriously? Had he done that cliche convention, buzzword overkill bit as a comedy routine, it would have been brilliant. But he wasn’t being tongue-in-cheek, he was serious.
From that point on, anyone paying attention should have realized he’s a clown. I had zero respect for him, off-the-field wise, following that point. Yes, even after the phenomenal 2021 season the Spartans had. Credit Mel Tucker and Michigan State for having a 10-2 season, which included a New Year’s Six bowl game win, but didn’t East Lansing consider that might be a bit fluky?
Sounds like Title IX policy prevented Haller & Michigan State leadership from knowing the details until the October hearing.
Zero clue why MSU didn’t scream this fact from the rooftops during today’s press conference instead of taking it on the chin.
Not a PR professional, but… https://t.co/Y65vNL4DdI
— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) September 11, 2023
Maybe he did deserve an extension and a raise at that point, but making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football history? Handing him a guaranteed 10-year, $95 million contract, the third-largest contract ever given to a football coach at a public university, are you effing kidding me?
You did realize that he literally went 2-5 the previous season? After all, he did so at Michigan State.
Michigan State has known about this…why did they let him start the season? They screwed up as badly as NW… https://t.co/X8pfF6eWJW
— ?? ?????? (@HawksBestie) September 10, 2023
And while last year’s season was bad, it’s actually off-the-field happenings that have sealed the fate of Mel Tucker. Make no mistake about it, this is a pre-firing with cause. He is not “on unpaid leave.” Tucker is never coming back, and good riddance.
Yesterday saw USA Today publish a story detailing alleged sexual harassment by Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor and anti-sexual violence advocate. She literally was brought in to visit Michigan State, to speak with the team about how to prevent sex crimes. The irony here is rich!
Tracey alleges a pattern of inappropriate behavior, culminating in Tucker masturbating during a phone call. Tucker, who is married to another woman, characterized the phone sex as consensual, as the two were reportedly having an emotional affair.
Apparently, this investigation has been ongoing for awhile, so it really inspires the question- why was Mel Tucker still there coaching? For this long?
Well, every time a power conference college football coach with a big money contract gets fired, they inevitably file a wrongful termination lawsuit.
See Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern. Or Illinois and Tim Beckman.
Defensive backs coach Harlon Barnett will be MSU’s interim coach while former head coach Mark Dantonio will return to be an assistant in a yet undefined role. While Dantonio is in the Michigan State football coach pantheon (just a step or two below Duffy Daugherty and Biggie Munn, not Nick Saban, because he built his legacy elsewhere), don’t expect him to totally rescue the program.
Yes, he’s a paragon of wholesome virtue compared to what has gone on around him and after him, but remember, his most heralded recruiting class was completely destroyed by one player accused of sexual assault who then blew the whistle on his other teammates who were also accused of sexual assault.
Eventually, the fallout preceded Dantonio’s retirement.
It’s clear that this kind of thing is a major systemic issue in East Lansing, Michigan. And as much as MSU likes to claim that things have really changed for the better, and that the new leadership is different.
It really doesn’t seem like that right now.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.