LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A new release from the legal team of former Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker says he will not be at his Title IX hearing on Thursday, due to an undisclosed medical condition.
Thursday’s release contains dozens of pages of text messages Tucker’s lawyers say are between Brenda Tracy and her close friend and assistant, Ahlan Alvarado, arguing their contents prove several claims made by Tucker’s legal team, including the phone sex call made by Tucker was “consensual” and Tracy “manipulated MSU for her own financial gain.”
The 106-page release begins with a statement addressed to the MSU Board of Trustees and Interim President Teresa Woodroof, which says Tucker’s legal team has evidence that “completely contradicts Ms. Tracy’s claims and suggests that she manipulated a key witness, the university, Mr. Tucker and the public.”
You can view the document in full in the PDF viewer below:
Tucker’s legal team draws four conclusions from the conversations between Tracy and Alvarado, who died in a car crash in June before Tracy’s claims against Tucker became public.
It argues:
- Text messages about Tracy’s claimed relationship with another coach contradict what she later told an investigator.
- A witness under oath said the phone sex call made by Tucker was consensual
- Tracy was motivated by money
- The Office of Institutional Equity’s investigation was a “failure”
The witness mentioned in the document is not identified, but Tucker’s legal team says her statements were made under oath as part of a sworn affidavit. This witness, according to Tucker’s legal team, said Tracy and Tucker “were in some sort of relationship when the conversation took place … the phone sex was consensual.”
Supposed statements from this witness also say during Alvarado’s hospitalization shortly before her death, Tracy attempted to spend the night at her home with the intention of locating messages about Tucker on Alvarado’s electronic devices in order to delete them.
As for Tracy’s supposed interest in financial gain, evidence provided by Tucker’s legal team include more text messages between her Alvarado, discussing things like possible funding from Tucker for marketing materials for Tracy’s nonprofit and the possibility of a settlement between Tucker and Tracy.
The release concludes with the assessment by Tucker’s legal team that the OIE investigation was “misguided and incomplete,” due to its supposed lack of a complete record of text messages between Tracy and Alvarado.
Thursday’s release shares the no holds barred approach taken by Tucker’s legal team since its initial response to MSU suspending him over claims of sexual harassment.
Tracy wrote a statement on X, formerly Twitter, back in September that said the public remarks made by Tucker’s legal team were “deflection” and “victim blaming.”
Tucker was officially terminated by MSU for cause on Sept. 27 and Athletic Director Alan Haller announced earlier this week that the school has formally begun its search for a new fulltime football coach.
