One Passage Sums Up Why Michigan State Is Firing Mel Tucker

Michigan State provided Mel Tucker a letter of intent to terminate the football head coach's contract amid sexual harassment allegations.

Athletic director Alan Haller issued a letter stating the school plans to fire Tucker for cause because the "undisputed facts provide multiple grounds for termination." A rape survivor working with the school to educate athletes about sexual assault accused Tucker of masturbating during a phone call last year.

Per The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach, Haller said Tucker's actions constitute "moral turpitude" that brought "public disrespect, contempt, and ridicule upon the University."

Auerbach highlighted one portion of the letter that best summarizes the situation.

"It is decidedly unprofessional to flirt, make sexual comments, and masturbate while on the phone with a University vendor," Haller wrote, "The unprofessional and unethical behavior is particularly egregious given that the Vendor at issue was contracted by the University for the sole purpose of educating student-athletes on, and preventing instances of, inappropriate sexual misconduct."

While Tucker argued the phone encounter was sexual, Haller wrote that he admitted to breaches of contract by verifying that he made flirtatious comments about the accuser's body. The AD also argued that Tucker calling an upcoming hearing a "sham" broke a contract clause about keeping comments about the school positive or constructive. 

Michigan State suspended Tucker without pay after USA Today reported the allegations against him on Sept. 10. The school's investigation, which began in January, will continue regardless of his job status or participation in next month's scheduled hearing.

By firing Tucker with cause, MSU would avoid paying Tucker nearly $80 million remaining on his contract.