Alleged sexual harassment victim Brenda Tracy challenges Mel Tucker to take the stand in court

After Mel Tucker statement, alleged victim puts Michigan State coach on blast

Brenda Tracy says Tucker has been trying to stop Michigan State’s investigation

There are the main plots – a football coach’s entire career on the line – and there are subplots – a once-$95-million contract.

And, now, there also is an on-record rebuttal.

Brenda Tracy, who has alleged Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker engaged in non-consensual phone sex, fired off an incredible rebuttal statement Monday evening after Tucker, in his own statement earlier in the day, sought to discredit Tracy.

A rape victim who has barnstormed the nation as an advocate and educator amongst college athletics programs, Tracy blasted Tucker’s statement as “DARVO.”

“This is just more of the same DARVO, defection, victim blaming and lies that I’ve been dealing with now for months,” Tracy said on social media.

Michigan State officials have suspended Tucker indefinitely, acknowledged that the school has conducted an Title IX investigation into Tucker’s behavior and set a hearing next month – conveniently, perhaps, during the Spartans’ football program’s open date – to conduct its formal hearing into Tucker’s future atop the program.

Tracy went directly after Tucker in her additional comments via her statement on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

“Coach Tucker has been delaying and trying to stop the investigative process since the beginning,” Tracy wrote. “He can’t afford to go to a hearing that determines credibility of the participating parties.

“I believe this statement is his way of getting out of participating in the hearing.”

The Spartans, who have opened their 2023 campaign 2-0 via wins against Central Michigan and Football Championship Subdivision program Richmond, have named an interim head coach, brought back program all-time wins-leader Mark Dantonio and made preparations to continue their foreseeable future without Tucker in the equation.

Hired away from Colorado prior to the 2020 season, Tucker has engineered an 20-14 record atop the MSU program – and he was rewarded with an industry-altering, 10-year, $95-million contract on the heels of the Spartans’ 11-win 2021 campaign that was punctuated by a New Years Six bowl win against Pittsburgh in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.

Tracy, however, doubled down on her allegations.

“October 5^th and 6^th I will be present for the hearing and make myself available for cross examination by (Tucker’s) attorney Jennifer Belveal. I invite him to do the same.”

Michigan State, of course, already has dealt with heinous acts of sexual violence from former school employee Dr. Larry Nassar. In fact, MSU has a dedicated Web page devoted to its response to Nassar's depraved behavior, which resulted in Nassar's 60-year jail sentence following his conviction.