Mel Tucker letter sent to Michigan St. alleges 'new evidence' - ESPN

Mel Tucker's lawyers sent a 106-page letter that presents «new evidence» to Michigan State's interim president and board of trustees Thursday morning as the administrative hearing tied to the misconduct allegations against the former Spartans football coach begins.

The letter, which is from one of Tucker's attorneys and was released widely to the media, says the woman who brought forth the claim against Tucker that led to his firing, sexual assault awareness speaker Brenda Tracy, «appears to have made a career out of misleading and manipulating people.»

The letter attempts to detail contradictions in the allegations from Tracy, who filed the formal complaint against Tucker with the school's office of civil rights in December 2022. It says she «manipulated a key witness,» «deleted key evidence» and selectively gave transcripts to the Office of Institutional Equity.

Tracy's attorney, Karen Truszkowski, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Truszkowski previously told ESPN that she and Tracy would be appearing at the school's sexual misconduct hearing.

Michigan State fired Tucker for cause Sept. 27. The following day, Tucker's lawyers sent a note to preserve documentation «in anticipation of litigation.» At stake for Tucker beyond the hearing is the $79 million he had remaining on his contract. After initially suspending Tucker without pay pending the hearing, the school fired him, saying he violated the moral turpitude clause and his admitted actions on a phone call with Tracy brought ridicule on the school.

The letter sent out Thursday is the latest in a tense back-and-forth between Tucker's side and the school, with this letter being sent by attorney Jennifer Z. Belveal. It attempts to catch Tracy in