USA TODAY article on Tucker delaying and how they got the scoop
USA TODAY article about Tucker delaying the case. The second half clears up how USA Today got the story and why it was published when it was. We don't have to guess anymore.
Brenda Tracy informed a USA TODAY reporter about the case in May 2023. Tracy had known the reporter since 2017 from his previous coverage of sexual misconduct in sports and disclosed details of the case confidentially.
In late June, Tracy agreed to give USA TODAY exclusive access to the case file to write a story, on the condition that the news organization wait until the case ended to publish it. Letting the process run its course was important to her, she said. But given the case's high-profile nature and the school’s history of mishandling sexual misconduct cases, she said she wanted a back-up plan in case details became public sooner.
In early September, USA TODAY Network reporters in Michigan heard Tracy’s name and specific details about the case mentioned in connection with the rumors. They shared the information to USA TODAY without identifying their sources, and USA TODAY relayed the information to Tracy.
Believing someone at Michigan State had leaked her name, Tracy gave USA TODAY consent to publish the story on Sept. 10.
September 15th, 2023 at 11:12 AM ^
Byrum, Tebay, Denno, and Scott are all msu alums. Not sure about the others (some don't list undergrad in their bios), but at least half of them graduated from there.
Jefferson doesn't list her undergrad, but her husband and stepson are alums and her biological children apparently go to EL schools and love msu.
Looks like 7 of 8 of the Michigan Board of Regents graduated from UM.
All that said, I think it's really less about having graduated from the place and genuinely putting the time and effort to want to do the right thing the right way for the university. That msu board has been dysfunctional for a long time.
September 15th, 2023 at 2:26 PM ^
They could have guessed that it might leak; that's a very long time to have such an issue pending. . . without whispers getting heard. They may have weighed that against the potential harm to the upcoming season if Mel's reputation was ruined before some items on their 'get done before coach puts willy back in trou' list of items got checked off. And they also could have arrogantly assumed they were going to play it off; some element of playing was getting done here, just how competent or crafty, who know. Yet again, they might have been lining up donors and sentiment for a careful firing. That's one more miserable look for MSU, though; I'd hate to be a junior faculty member there, or have poured my career into bettering that place.
September 14th, 2023 at 10:05 PM ^
No matter how this plays out, it definitely has to be the biggest sparty nooooo of all time. And there's a lot of sparty nooooo 's in the running 🤣🤣🤣
September 15th, 2023 at 12:39 AM ^
Not if they ultimately wanted to ditch Tucker without having half the team transfer just before the season.
Barnett seems like a potential upgrade and they still have a team. If they somehow pull the upset on Saturday the narrative for the team will flip quickly.
September 15th, 2023 at 9:44 AM ^
Not bigger than Nassar, sorry.
September 14th, 2023 at 10:29 PM ^
Tucker's lawyer sure is busy. I assume she wouldn't pull that stuff with a real court.
September 15th, 2023 at 7:44 AM ^
We’ll hear about this for a while - and, based on what’s come out so far - the Spartan Administration BoD is not going to look very good.
September 15th, 2023 at 7:57 AM ^
There are no keeping secrets when said secret is known by a group of people.... someone spills the beans, someone always spills the beans.
September 15th, 2023 at 9:05 AM ^
If that were true wouldn't we know where the baby eating would be taking place by now?
September 15th, 2023 at 9:59 AM ^
Ultimately he's going to get a big check (with NDA) to walk away, but not going to be a "happy ending" for Mel's coaching career. Have a thought about a future opportunity for Tucker, a podcast with Jeffrey Toobin. "Tuck and Toob, 2 hands out!"
September 15th, 2023 at 2:54 PM ^
I dunno, it seems like he's made as much money in a couple years at MSU that would have taken him 8 yrs at CO, and that's before a potential buyout.
September 15th, 2023 at 3:16 PM ^
I don’t know, I’m kinda on board with Brian’s theory that there was enough “in the wind” for someone to connect the dots without anyone explicitly leaking anything.
So someone does that and starts vocalizing their theory, people start poking around Tracy’s camp for confirmation, she assumes it’s been leaked, and decides to get ahead of it.