A lawyer for former Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker presented “new evidence” to the school Thursday in the form of a 106-page letter.

Michigan State fired Tucker last month after an investigation into sexual harassment allegations involving a sexual assault awareness speaker, Brenda Tracy.

Attorney Jennifer Z. Belveal sent the letter to the university’s interim president, Dr. Teresa Woodruff, and the board of trustees just before an administrative hearing into the misconduct allegations against Tucker began on Thursday morning.

The letter claims that Tucker’s accuser “appears to have made a career out of misleading and manipulating people.”

It also says Tracy “manipulated a key witness” and “deleted key evidence” when she filed her formal complaint against Tucker in December 2022.

Tracy’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment from ESPN.

Tucker, 51, did not attend Thursday’s hearing due to an undisclosed medical condition, according to his representatives.

At stake for Tucker is the $79 million he had remaining on his contract when the school fired him on Sept. 27. The university said Tucker violated his contract’s moral turpitude clause and brought ridicule upon the school with his actions, including what Tracy said was an unwanted phone sex encounter.

Tucker was hired in February 2020.

The Spartans (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) have lost all three games since elevating defensive backs coach Harlon Barnett to interim head coach.

–Field Level Media

Michigan State fired football coach Mel Tucker on Wednesday, sending him a letter that stated his actions with a female contractor left the university “subject to public disrespect and ridicule.”

The school gave Tucker written notice last week that it planned to terminate his contract for cause.

Tucker was suspended without pay on Sept. 10 following a months-long investigation into sexual harassment allegations.

Tucker, whose attorneys have called the university’s findings “flimsy,” was hired in February 2020.

Michigan State’s investigation alleged that Tucker, 51, sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault survivor and awareness speaker, during what she has characterized as unwanted phone sex in April 2022.

While Field Level Media’s policy is not to name alleged victims of sexual harassment or assault, Tracy agreed to be identified in a USA Today interview and provided hundreds of pages of documentation.

According to Tucker’s attorneys, Tucker and Tracy had “an entirely mutual, private event between two adults living at opposite ends of the country” and Tucker has said the investigation contained “an ulterior motive designed to terminate my contract.”

The termination letter, signed by athletic director Alan Haller, said Tucker’s 25-page response to the allegations did “not provide any information that refutes or undermines the multiple grounds for termination for cause set forth” in the notice to terminate. Instead, Haller said the response “provides a litany of excuses for your inappropriate behavior while expressly admitting to the problematic conduct outlined” in the notice.

Tucker, the 2021 Big Ten Coach of the Year, guided the Spartans to a 20-14 record, including a 2-0 start this season.

Tucker was one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, signing a 10-year, $95 million contract before the 2022 season. The contract would have been fully guaranteed had the school fired Tucker for performance.

However, it contains a clause that allows Michigan State to fire him, without payment, if he engages in “conduct which, in the University’s reasonable judgment, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule on the University,” according to USA Today.

The Spartans (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) have lost both games since defensive backs coach Harlon Barnett took over as their interim head coach. They play at Iowa on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Attorneys representing suspended Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker on Monday sent a letter to the university, laying out their assertion that administrators prematurely jumped to conclusions and that the university has no grounds to fire their client.

The letter comes a week after Michigan State announced its intent to fire Tucker for cause following its investigation into allegations Tucker sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault survivor and awareness speaker, during unwanted phone sex in April 2022. The university provided Tucker seven days to respond to the notification last Monday.

While Field Level Media’s policy is not to name alleged victims of sexual harassment or assault, Tracy agreed to be identified in a USA Today interview and provided hundreds of pages of documentation.

Calling the university’s findings in its investigation “flimsy,” attorneys from the firm Foley & Lardner LLP made the following assertions in its letter:

–The phone sex between Tucker and Tracy was consensual (a claim Tucker has repeatedly made since the allegations came to light).

–The university has no jurisdiction to investigate — let alone discipline — Tucker over a private phone call.

–The university and Tracy broke confidentiality by disclosing the details of the 1,200-page investigation.

–The university announced the intent to fire Tucker more than seven months after first learning of Tracy’s allegations and before fully completing its investigation, violating Tucker’s right to due process.

Last Tuesday, Tucker himself replied to the university’s notice, stating much of what his attorneys stated in their letter.

“Let’s be clear. I don’t believe MSU plans to fire me because I admitted to an entirely consensual, private relationship with another adult who gave one presentation at MSU, at my behest, over two years ago.”

Tucker is one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, signing a 10-year, $95 million contract before the 2022 season. The contract is fully guaranteed if the school fires Tucker for performance.

However, it contains a clause that allows Michigan State to fire him, without payment, if he engages in “conduct which, in the University’s reasonable judgment, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule on the University,” according to USA Today.

Michigan State suspended Tucker without pay Sept. 10 amid its months-long investigation into his conduct with Tracy. Tucker said he helped bring Tracy, a prominent activist for sexual misconduct prevention, to campus in 2021 and they developed a friendship that grew intimate over time. Tucker said he was estranged from his wife “for a long time” by that point.

Tucker confirmed he had a “late-night intimate conversation” with Tracy in April 2022. While he said it was mutual and Tracy initiated the call, Tracy contends that Tucker “made sexual comments about her and masturbated” during that call and she had not consented.

Tucker, 51, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Spartans. His overall record at Michigan State is 20-14 after a 5-7 season in 2022.

–Field Level Media

Michigan State intends to fire Mel Tucker for cause, sending the embattled head coach a written notice Monday that he will be relieved of his duties.

Tucker has seven days to contest the decision. Even with Monday’s decision, Michigan State intends to continue an investigation of the situation through its office of civil rights.

“I, with the support of the administration and board, have provided Mel Tucker with written notice of intent to terminate his contract for cause,” Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller said in a statement. “This notification process is required as part of his existing contract. The notice provides Tucker with seven calendar days to respond and present reasons to me and the interim president as to why he should not be terminated for cause.”

The move comes a week after Tucker released a lengthy statement through his lawyer defending himself against allegations that he sexually harassed a rape survivor.

Tucker said he and Brenda Tracy had “an entirely mutual, private event between two adults living at opposite ends of the country” and said the investigation contained “an ulterior motive designed to terminate my contract.”

Tucker is one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, signing a 10-year, $95 million contract before the 2022 season. The contract is fully guaranteed if the school fires Tucker for performance.

However, it contains a clause that allows Michigan State to fire him, without payment, if he engages in “conduct which, in the University’s reasonable judgment, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule on the University,” according to USA Today.

Tucker was suspended without pay Sept. 10 amid a months-long investigation into his conduct with Tracy, who told USA Today that the coach crossed the line during an April 28, 2022 telephone call. While Field Level Media’s policy is not to name alleged victims of sexual harassment or assault, Tracy agreed to be identified in her USA Today interview and provided hundreds of pages of documentation.

Tucker said he helped bring Tracy, a prominent activist for sexual misconduct prevention, to campus in 2021 and they developed a friendship that grew intimate over time. Tucker said he was estranged from his wife “for a long time” by that point.

“Even the investigator hired by the University found that we had a ‘personal relationship’ and that we shared ‘deeply personal and private information with each other,’” Tucker said. “Ms. Tracy encouraged our personal relationship by inviting and accepting gifts from me. During the investigation, Ms. Tracy admitted requesting and accepting my gift of expensive athletic shoes, a $200 Venmo payment and a personal contribution to her non-profit.”

Tucker confirmed he had a “late-night intimate conversation” with Tracy in April 2022. While he said it was mutual and Tracy initiated the call, Tracy contends that Tucker “made sexual comments about her and masturbated” during that call and she had not consented.

“She initiated the discussion that night, sent me a provocative picture of the two of us together, suggested what she may look like without clothes, and never once during the 36 minutes did she object in any manner, much less hang up the phone,” Tucker claimed.

A hearing had been set for Oct. 5-6 to decide whether he violated school policy about sexual harassment, which the coach has criticized as being designed for student infractions only.

“The sham ‘hearing’ scheduled for October 5-6 is ridiculously flawed and not designed to arrive at the truth,” Tucker claimed, saying that neither Tracy nor her witnesses are required to testify under oath and his side cannot present evidence of his innocence.

Tucker said he had been “ripped from the team that I love, without any meaningful opportunity to tell my side of the story other than this press release.”

Tucker, 51, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Spartans. His overall record at Michigan State is 20-14 after a 5-7 season in 2022.

Defensive backs coach Harlon Barnett served as Michigan State head coach Saturday during the Spartans’ 41-7 loss to Washington. Former coach Mark Dantonio advised Barnett as an associate head coach.

–Field Level Media