Mel Tucker
The spouse of former head football coach at Michigan State University, Mel Tucker, has filed for divorce and accused him, in a request for a restraining order, of withdrawing money from their joint accounts without notice, including $1.5 million for his legal expenses.
Court records show that Jo Ellyn and Mel Tucker were both granted a mutual restraining order on Thursday by a judge in Ingham County, Michigan, to prevent “the dissipation of marital assets.” Jo Ellyn filed her divorce complaint with the court three weeks earlier, on April 5.
In her petition for the restraining order, Jo Ellyn Tucker stated that she sought the order because shortly before she initiated the divorce proceedings, Mel Tucker withdrew all the funds from his two retirement accounts, including his Michigan State account, and transferred them to an individual account inaccessible to her.
Additionally, she alleged that Tucker utilized more than $1.5 million from their shared line of credit to finance his legal defense in third-party litigation, contending that this expenditure did not qualify as a marital expense. as well as an additional $100,000 since the filing for divorce – with the total amount spent on litigation deemed excessive compared to the balance of their marital estate.
Mel Tucker and his attorney did not respond immediately to messages seeking comment.
Mel Tucker was sued in Ingham County court in October by Brenda Tracy, a prominent rape survivor and activist, who accused him of sexual harassment and exploitation – allegations corroborated by an MSU investigation. Tracy was granted a restraining order to prevent Tucker from releasing private text messages he had obtained from the cellphone of her deceased best friend and business assistant, which contained personal and business information. This litigation is ongoing.
Last month, Tracy also filed an intent to sue Tucker and the university – a prerequisite to suing a government agency – alleging damage to her reputation and future earnings, obstruction of her charitable work, and severe psychological and emotional harm. Tracy and her nonprofit, Set The Expectation, are seeking damages in excess of $75 million.
Mel Tucker had hired Tracy in August 2021 to speak to his team about sexual violence prevention. After their initial meeting, he expressed interest in Tracy’s cause of engaging men in combatting gender-based violence, leading to a professional relationship and friendship. Over the next year, Tucker twice invited Tracy back to East Lansing, first as an honorary captain at a Spartans football game and later for future training sessions with coaches and players.
During this period, Tucker made repeated romantic advances toward Tracy, who later informed campus investigators that she struggled to establish boundaries with Tucker while maintaining their professional partnership. Each time she attempted to set boundaries, Tucker initially complied but then resumed more aggressive advances. The situation culminated in a phone call in April 2022, during which Tracy alleged that Tucker masturbated and made sexual comments without her consent.
Tracy stated that during their last conversation in August 2022, Tucker threatened to ruin her career if she spoke out about his behavior. She filed a complaint with the university’s Title IX office in December.
In September, a USA TODAY investigation publicly revealed the allegations. MSU subsequently terminated Tucker for cause, cancelling the approximately $75 million remaining on his 10-year, $95 million contract. Even Tucker’s claim that he and Tracy had engaged in a consensual romantic relationship and “phone sex” constituted grounds for termination, according to athletic director Alan Haller in his termination letter.
Following a seven-month investigation by an external investigator hired by MSU, a separate hearing officer concluded in October that Tucker had sexually harassed and exploited Tracy during the April 2022 phone call, made unwelcome sexual advances in the eight months leading up to the call, and engaged in quid pro quo sexual harassment afterwards by terminating their professional relationship.
Another external attorney hired by MSU upheld Tucker’s appeal in January, affirming the hearing officer’s decision that Tracy’s account of events was more credible, consistent, and supported by evidence.
Tucker and his attorneys have indicated their intention to sue MSU for wrongful termination, although they have yet to take action.
