The death of MSU football

[Honeyman]

So, almost fired. Meh.

He will be. If they canned him now, they'd be on the hook for 80 million. If they wait until the investigation is complete, they fire him for cause and might not have to pay him a dime.

[Robert Faygo]

I'm probably not the only one to think that MSU is a better football team this evening with Tucker sidelined and Barnett being mentored by Dantonio.

[Mega Hertz]

I wonder what Valenti is gonna have to say about all this. He was not happy with the way Dantonio left. This is such a mess.

That said, I give it until 2:03 before Michigan is mentioned.

[Honeyman]

I'm probably not the only one to think that MSU is a better football team this evening with Tucker sidelined and Barnett being mentored by Dantonio.

I'm not sure you're wrong. I do think the team itself is better. But as a program, this could still be a killer.

[Robert Faygo]

Nah. Short term hiccup.

Handled the right way (fired next month), this becomes nothing more than one guy that was given too much money and power too soon and couldn't handle it. It'd be different if this was multiple people on his staff doing this stuff.

MSU has too much going for it for it to be a killer.

[Willie108]

MSU has a history of hiring the WRONG football coach for 50 years. This all started when Duffy Daugherty retired. Let's see...John L. Smith, Bobby Williams, Muddy Waters and Denny Stolz, the guy who got MSU on probation in the mid 70's. Why did the Board of Trustees okay all that money for Tucker because of one season, which was a total fluke just like Indiana in 2020. Then, after the spring game, you lose your starting QB and wide receiver. I think they know what was going on. I'm still pissed they didn't hire Luke Fickel. I'd have given what he wanted, and the keys to the Capitol, and now he's at Wisconsin. Cripes, they should have talked to Urban Meyer. No???

[Honeyman]

MSU has a history of hiring the WRONG football coach for 50 years. This all started when Duffy Daugherty retired. Let's see...John L. Smith, Bobby Williams, Muddy Waters and Denny Stolz, the guy who got MSU on probation in the mid 70's. Why did the Board of Trustees okay all that money for Tucker because of one season, which was a total fluke just like Indiana in 2020. Then, after the spring game, you lose your starting QB and wide receiver. I think they know what was going on. I'm still pissed they didn't hire Luke Fickel. I'd have given what he wanted, and the keys to the Capitol, and now he's at Wisconsin. Cripes, they should have talked to Urban Meyer. No???

I'm not gonna completely argue with you, but you're leaving out Mark Dantonio who got the team into the playoff and won a couple BT titles.

They would have hired Fickel, but he turned them down. Mel's hiring was a quick decision, and the contract extension was obviously the all-time clusterfuck.

I don't want Urban Meyer near my program.

[Matt]

MSU has a history of hiring the WRONG football coach for 50 years. This all started when Duffy Daugherty retired. Let's see...John L. Smith, Bobby Williams, Muddy Waters and Denny Stolz, the guy who got MSU on probation in the mid 70's. Why did the Board of Trustees okay all that money for Tucker because of one season, which was a total fluke just like Indiana in 2020. Then, after the spring game, you lose your starting QB and wide receiver. I think they know what was going on. I'm still pissed they didn't hire Luke Fickel. I'd have given what he wanted, and the keys to the Capitol, and now he's at Wisconsin. Cripes, they should have talked to Urban Meyer. No???

Nick Saban says hi.

[Willie108]

They let Nick Saban get away to LSU, and what did he do??? Win a National Championship. And then to Alabama, and we know what he's done there. Dantonio was the right choice. He had to clean up the mess left by John L. Just like George Perles had to do after Muddy Waters.

[Graham Wellington]

I'm probably not the only one to think that MSU is a better football team this evening with Tucker sidelined and Barnett being mentored by Dantonio.

Yes, definitely so. And in true MSU fashion, the team will rally behind Barnett, perform better than expected, create a feel good story in light of the situation. MSU will try to capitalize, hand the keys to Barnett, give him a boatload of money....and follow up with losing seasons and a program in disarray. And the program starts all over again.

It seems like this scenario has played out before. I'm looking at you, Bobby W.

[Graham Wellington]

MSU has a history of hiring the WRONG football coach for 50 years. This all started when Duffy Daugherty retired. Let's see...John L. Smith, Bobby Williams, Muddy Waters and Denny Stolz, the guy who got MSU on probation in the mid 70's. Why did the Board of Trustees okay all that money for Tucker because of one season, which was a total fluke just like Indiana in 2020. Then, after the spring game, you lose your starting QB and wide receiver. I think they know what was going on. I'm still pissed they didn't hire Luke Fickel. I'd have given what he wanted, and the keys to the Capitol, and now he's at Wisconsin. Cripes, they should have talked to Urban Meyer. No???

I'm not gonna completely argue with you, but you're leaving out Mark Dantonio who got the team into the playoff and won a couple BT titles.

They would have hired Fickel, but he turned them down. Mel's hiring was a quick decision, and the contract extension was obviously the all-time clusterfuck.

I don't want Urban Meyer near my program.

100% agree.

I heard Rico Beard on WXYT tonight promoting him as a potential candidate. Just reading about his short stay in Jacksonville and the completely dysfunctional environment he created should make anyone steer very clear of him.

Which, considering the cluster currently running MSU, wouldn't surprise me if they seriously consider him.

[Matt]

Ben is wondering how you Sparties don't have undying devotion to a man "going through a rough patch", especially since the troubled individual's last name starts with "T". Your "disloyalty" is unfathomable to him.

[Rate This]

Ben is wondering how you Sparties don't have undying devotion to a man "going through a rough patch", especially since the troubled individual's last name starts with "T". Your "disloyalty" is unfathomable to him.

I suppose even under the best circumstances possible that it was consensual and she changed her mind later (he admits it happened so that’s well established) he would be toast anyways. The conduct even if mutual between them wouldn’t pass the smell test…

To hear that they sat on this until the cat left the bag and went after a mouse is rather disheartening.

[Bull Shannon]

To hear that they sat on this until the cat left the bag and went after a mouse is rather disheartening.

The details of Title IX investigations are usually confidential until the hearing. The only thing that university leadership and the AD knew was that an investigation was taking place. The only parties privy to the details were Tucker and his lawyer, Tracy and her lawyer, and the Title IX department at MSU.

That's why university leadership and the AD didn't know the details until Tracy went public with it to USA Today.

[Matt]

To hear that they sat on this until the cat left the bag and went after a mouse is rather disheartening.

The details of Title IX investigations are usually confidential until the hearing. The only thing that university leadership and the AD knew was that an investigation was taking place. The only parties privy to the details were Tucker and his lawyer, Tracy and her lawyer, and the Title IX department at MSU.

That's why university leadership and the AD didn't know the details until Tracy went public with it to USA Today.

Incorrect: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sport ... 817086007/

Michigan State University allowed coach Mel Tucker to continue coaching the football program for 10 months following a sexual harassment complaint made against him, and while doing so, it kept half of the university's board in the dark about the investigation into the allegations, two sources told The Detroit News.

According to the two sources familiar with how the elected board officials were notified of the Title IX complaint against Tucker made by Brenda Tracy, an advocate against sexual assault and rape victim who was hired to conduct training with MSU's football program, half of the eight-member MSU Board of Trustees learned details of the complaint and subsequent investigation Sunday from media reports, just hours before his suspension.

The others — members of the board’s committee on audit, risk and compliance, including trustees Dan Kelly, Renee Knake Jefferson and Brianna Scott — were briefed in December about the complaint by Athletic Director Alan Haller, interim President Teresa Woodruff and General Counsel Brian Quinn, the two sources said. Dianne Byrum, then the board chair, also knew. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak on the matter, believe half the board wasn't told details to avoid leaks to the public.

It was Haller's and Woodruff’s decision not to suspend Tucker in December or anytime before Sunday, the sources said. Why the decision to suspend Tucker was made Sunday wasn't told to the board members.