Does the Tucker situation help or hurt MSU?

Feels to me like an almost unqualified "helps."  Tucker is an average-at-best coach, with a terrible contract.  This allows MSU to move on.  Short-term, you get Mork back in the building and while this board does not like him, he's a meaningful upgrade over Tucker.  You get the rest of the year with a relatively steady set of hands, let some of the stink of this debacle blow over and be in the hunt for a better coach than Tucker for 24-25.  

If they were 11-2 or even 10-3 last season, 99% of MSU faithful would've come to the defense of the creep. 

Right now, the loudest voice on internet to let him go are MSU fans.  

I think it helps MSU get out of the contract, but with that being said, all Tucker's success as a recruiter, if Tucker is not the guy to bring them to becoming a threat to win the B1G every year, then there is no one out there who is.  Dantonio was the closest one, but he fell off the last few years.  No big name coach will take MSU's job over a Florida, Texas, ND, Georgia, etc with their recruiting resources, or even over programs that are not in the top tier, such as South Carolina and Arkansas.  MSU fans have to hope that they are competitive each year at best, especially with more great competition coming in next year.  

In what universe does this help MSU? Because it gives them a way to only partially fix something that was a colossal mistake to begin with (while creating a huge distraction and dragging the university's name through the mud yet again)?

Who? Where? Seems like a tempest in a stained tea pot. Yuh hate to see it.

Who cares?

Help or hurt? It's Michigan State. They're beyond help. It's a trash university run by trash people supported by trash fans. They make NASCAR fans look like Rhodes scholars.

He's absolutely not going to go quietly and they'll wind up having to pay him something.  Maybe not the whole contract but even morality terms in contracts vary and "cheated on his possibly-estranged wife and then embarrassed his employer with how he handled it" is relatively low on the range of immoral things you can be punished for.  So I think they'll pay some portion of it unless they want him to go to trial and drag them.

But overall Tucker's a mediocre coach and so not being tied to him for a decade will be a net benefit to them provided they can attract someone else.  But Tucker wasn't MSU's first choice after Dantonio and he only came to them when they overpaid.  They'll like have the same issues now because there's a ceiling for success with MSU.  It'll always be a stepping stone job.

Great question.   This is definitely a "good and bad" situation - with a lot of "bad".

Getting here - this is ugly - no other way to describe it.   The Nassar situation, comments / situations about different student athletes that was not favorable, and now this - a head coach of one of the two most visible sports at the university.

Where is this going?    It seems like this isn't going away anytime soon.  Tucker's made his comments.  It looks like deleted texts are going to turn this into a "he said, she said" - bringing into question whether it was mutual, consensual, etc.  It won't be the "top" story in the news in the coming week, two, or three - however, it will be in the news.

The only "good" to come from this is - MSU will save a lot of money that was guaranteed in his salary.  IMO, that's it.

What other teams will be looking for a new head coach?   The coaching turnstile probably has its first entrant this season - with the Spartans.   Which other teams will look to change their HC?  How will MSU stack up against those other teams?

Is MSU a desirable position for an up and coming head coach?    That's a good question.   You're going to have to "clean house" - a segment of the team is going to transfer - so there will be a roster challenge which will begin immediately - depth, etc.    Whoever they bring in will need to squeaky clean - willing to take the time to rebuild - while trying to compete in a B1G that seems to be getting stronger.

Comments may be made about Coach Prime, Leipold, and several others finding the opportunity to be "great".   I don't buy that.   Coach Prime wouldn't touch MSU - and, teams with not as much baggage and more money than MSU - like Texas A&M or Florida - will be courting Prime soon - if they haven't already.   

Overall - MSU will save more than a few dollars with a termination for cause.  However, the negative impact to their reputation will be significant - and, the hole they're in will not only get deeper - but - they won't even have a chance to get out of it until all this is settled.

I can't imagine this helps in the short term - a team/locker room that already saw its leading production high tail it for the ACC/SEC - which gives off a very not "super 2" vibe - is now seeing its coach summarily removed. I assume Coleman and Thorne had some measure of leadership in the locker room/off the field as well. There will likely be some "spartans against the world" mentality, so strong leadership can go a long way - but toxic leadership can split the locker room just as easily.

Longer term - I think it was becoming increasingly clear Tucker wasn't the 95 million dollar answer. As wild as it may seem to M fans - they need their James Franklin. They need a solid coach who will create a new culture for the school and community to rally around. Tucker took cues from Dantonio - understandable because of his success, but let's not forget that he left the program in shame and in shambles, and completely uncompetitive with pre-playoff Michigan. And that's before we mention the culture he'd left - one that drew a straight line to the Tunnel, and to Tucker's own actions.

Both. He further sullied their already sketchy reputation (to those who can actually see clearly), but he let's them off the hook from a stupid contract.

nothing about this "helps" MSU.

Yes they are able to rid themselves of this contract but what do you think the next guy is going to ask for?  It's gonna be that line from Goodfellas "F*ck you, pay me"

Another instance of sexual assault or sexual impropriety at the very least.  Nassar aside, let's not forget about Auston Robertson who was brought to MSU by who?  Yep, the same guy they just named Associate Head Coach.

They're going to get rid of a Horseshit Coach for a fraction of what they promised him.....

Sparty gets out of a terrible deal that they made.... 

The next question is, who do they con into taking over that shitshow?  I wouldn't doubt that mork comes back for a season or two.   they want Narduzzi, but he turned them down when it was less bad.  Leonhard might take the job just because he's salty about getting passed on by WS, but other than that, i don't know that they will have a large pool of good candidates

the dreaded double post....

Pretty clearly hurts short-term. No need to elaborate.

But I see a lot of people sure that it helps them long-term...and I'm not so sure. MSU already had a bad reputation from the handling of the Nassar case, enough for Fickell to turn them down and stay at Cincinnati when the opportunity arose. They had to throw a lot of money at Tucker to lure him away from CU, and he was at best a 5-7 2nd year coach when they hired him.

This event will only further damage MSU's reputation. It will be even more difficult than before for them to attract recruits and good coaches to come to MSU. No way they can even think of poaching Coach Prime. Jim Leonard is a great candidate for them, but I'm not sure MSU is a good candidate fro Jim Leonard. Narduzzi may be their best bet, but does he care enough about MSU to leave his relatively stable job at Pitt? Of course, they well could get lucky and nab a great up-and-comer. But they're going to struggle and I would bet on the next hire being underwhelming too. 

And I'll say this...many here are absolutely convinced Tucker is a terrible coach. So from that perspective it must be great to get out from under that contract while they can. But I'm not sure he's THAT bad. Sure, he's no $9.5 million coach. But beating Michigan in his first two years and getting to 11 wins counts for something. I'm not convinced he was a "perennial bottom-dweller" type of coach...he could have built them to a stable 8-4ish type of program especially given another 2-3 years.

Short-term it's a blessing and a curse. Blessing because I think they find a way to pull off an upset (Maryland?). Weird things can happen when a team has to circle the wagons. But then the roof will fall in, even with Dicktonio stirring up his usual M hatred. I'm just glad we are 5 games away from playing them. 

Long-term, they could not have been more blessed to get out of his contract. This was Charlie Weis 2.0. I think Mel knows his goose is cooked and is looking for something between 10 and 20 million settlement in the end. MSU can't afford to drag this out while the new coach search is happening. However, getting a quality coach to come in now, with the four current top 25 FB teams joining next year, is going to be a challenge, more than it was a few years ago when Dicktonio waited around long enough to get his retention bonus.

Mel is done coaching, unless Nick wants to give him a shot at redemption. Durkin got another shot after a player died. I think Mel will get a shot and then will end up somewhere like Rice or Grambling or ECU, etc. 

It helps if Dantonio will hire a Ohio guy like Tressel, or Campbell from ISU. Lets hope for neither and they promote Barnett.

They made a mistake hiring the guy based on hype.

They no longer have to pay him the entire contract.

They get back their lord and savior, Dantonio.

This helps them.

Long term, they are going to need a better HC solution.

darnit, here we go...someone has a random thought about this story, thinks, "is there any reason this can't go into one of the other posts already on the board?  NOPE!"  add makes a pointless "wut you think?" board post.  bleah.

One of the coaches whose star was shining just a few years ago, but has now receded into the pack: Matt Campbell (Iowa St). The gambling scandal can't help him, but he and MSU may be a fit. Hope he stays where he is, but the guy may figure this is a better shot. 

What accomplished or really good coach will want this post-Nassar, post-Tucker MSU job… in a division-less conference where you have to climb annually over UM, OSU, PSU, USC, UW(NTUW),* UW(YTUW),* and Oregon… srsly?

* (I have no idea which UW is which, but for this discussion, it doesnt matter)

My prediction:

Nard Comin'

I know he turned Sparty down before, but now his mediocre record at Pitt will incentivize him to jump ship while he still has a chance to get a big contract from the idiots running MSU.

In the meantime, "Eat Shit Pitt" (as they say in West Virginia).

Well I know they think Dantonio back = automatic ass-whooping on the 21st of next month, which, I don't know what the rationale is for that. His domination of Michigan was largely achieved against dumpster fires (6-1 vs RR/Hoke), not as good against stable Michigan programs (2-4 vs Carr/Harbaugh). Not much question which he'll be facing this year. Also, not hugely important but Jim IS 2-0 against him at the green and white parking ramp.

I know he's not the head coach anyway, but I would never deny he brings something unique to the program. He just doesn't scare me anymore. He once famously asked, "So where's the threat?" Well, from where I sit, the late '00s / early '10s, when you were beating up on Maize and Blue craters, are a decade-plus ago, and "the threats" are now coaching at Jacksonville State and San Diego State.

MSU can beat Michigan next month, I'd never say it's a foregone conclusion. Tucker went 2-1 against Harbaugh, albeit much like Dantonio got some fortuitous breaks when narrowly beating Jim, while losing to him was a bit more decisive. I'm just saying if it happens it won't be because Mark Dantonio waved a magic wand, it will be because the superior team got outplayed or made unforgivable mistakes. 

It helps them, as gross as that reality is. If they survived everything to this point, what's another POS coach? 

I think it's a blessing in disguise. Tucker is not a good coach, however, MSU has enough NIL money to be a good program. Get someone who can actually develop and coach and maybe they'll have something

No surprise some Spartan faithful will try to spin a sexual harassment case against their HC, into a positive. 

Depends on who you talk to. 

For reasonable MSU fans/alums, this hurts and is an embarrassment no matter how you slice it, regardless of being able to potentially get out of a bad contract. Your head coach, one of the faces of your university and a man who is supposed to be a leader of young men, admitted to essentially having an extramarital affair, possibly a non-consensual one, with a woman who is already a sexual assault survivor. MSU is already a school that is known for not having that high of a moral standard when it comes to its employees, so if you care about that sort of thing, this is a terrible look for you and for your alma mater. There are probably a lot of parents out there right now saying "Why in the hell would I ever send my child, especially if I have a daughter, to Michigan State?"

For the MSU fans/alums who the only thing that matters is results on the field and beating Michigan, this is a golden life preserver for you. A get out of jail free card, and a potential do-over for one of the worst contracts in college football history. You were going to be living with this guy for a long, long time and having to pay him a lot of money for mediocre results. Now you potentially have a way out, unless Tucker can prove this was consensual. Its still a fireable offense because he's embarrassed the university, but if he can prove it was consensual, that makes firing him for cause exponentially harder, and the school will still owe him A LOT of money. 

Regardless of what side MSU fans land on, this hurts in the short term because your team will probably crater this year, maybe next, but depending on who you hire to replace him, it may be a net gain in the long run. I'm not sure how much it dampens MSU's overall reputation because Larry Nassar cratered that reputation anyway. 

To me, it all depends on how easily they can make Tucker go away. If they can fire him for cause and not pay him another dime, its a clean slate. If they can't, even they reach some kind of 50/50 settlement with Tucker, they're going to have a really rough go being able to find a coach that they both can afford and who wants to come to MSU, along with having to pay Tucker on top of it. 

My guess is they find a way to fire him for cause, and big Mel loses out on $70-$80 million because he couldn't control little Mel. 

Assuming that Sparty ignores Mel's posturing for hush money, leading to him suing them and keeping this story in the news for months, and also fails their coaching search and lands a dud... I'd say it hurts.

Let's not forget that it is MSU, not Ishbia, that is on the hook for the majority of this contract if Tucker successfully sues them.  I can't that won't have ramifications in how much will be paid to the next coach.  RCMB thinks every future coach is going to get a $100M deal.

Any time you move on from someone who is unfit to coach your team, it's ultimately a good thing. Mel Tucker is unworthy of coaching a Big 10 team that's won the conference in recent memory like Michigan State. They will be better off moving on then being stuck with him.

But it's hard to find short term positives about having to fire your coach because he's a weirdo sex pest.

Normal head coach > Horseshit coach 

Its probably too early to say.  It helps them get out of his preposterous contract.  It should hurt their reputation.  The odd thing about MSU is that they keep doing things that should really tarnish them, but no one seems to care, so they somehow appear from my long distance to be immune to reputation damage.

Mark D'antonie is not walking through that door again.

Oh wait.

On a serious note it all depends on quality of next hire as it always does.  Short term they will lose players from the program, and I'd say the recruiting class will suffer but it already stunk as it sounds like Mel Tugger was just mailing it in.  

Basically every coaching hire you just take your chance at the roulette wheel.  

Tucker is getting railroaded a bit by MSU, but he absolutely deserves it. It's a fantastic opportunity for them to take advantage of the fact that he's a complete idiot and a bad coach and even worse person.  Give me a break . . . he had dozens of conversations with this lady lasting 30 minutes or longer very very late at night. It's not as if they were innocently in the middle of a work related call and he whipped out his penis and started jerking off randomly. What's more likely . . . he whipped it out during a 1am work related call and she was just so delicate and became so frozen that she couldn't hang up the phone for an entire 30 minutes. He's in such a position of supreme power that she sat their and listened to him fapping from hundreds of miles away OR this lady just wanted to get with the richest coach in college football and Tucker is a moron so the two engaged in this affair until Tucker didn't want to be her sugar daddy and she got pissed off and is coming after him now.  This is a miniscule issue compared to the Nassar thing, but MSU can show off how swift they're reacting (this time) and it will be better for them in the long run. That said, there's no crime, just two sleazy morally bankrupt adults. He's gonna lose $80M for having poor judgement which I find hilarious. He could have had an affair with anyone else and this probably stays a personal issue that doesn't intersect with his job and embarrass MSU. Plenty of coaches have affairs, personal issues, get divorced (like Harbaugh for example). But no, he's so stupid and full of himself that he chose to do this with a woman whose entire career is teaching men and women how to avoid situations like this.  Yet, she's apparently fine with taking dozens of calls well after midnight and texting with a married man. No red flags there. Holy shit. 

As a University it hurts, as an athletic department it will likely help in the long term.