Mel Tucker Attorneys Play In Court Of Public Opinion, Questioning Truthfulness Of Brenda Tracy, Michigan State

Mel Tucker did not show up for the hearing at Michigan State on Thursday, but his attorneys made their presence known minutes after it began.

After attorney Jennifer Belveal released an eight-page letter that contained almost 100 pages of alleged text message attachments from Brenda Tracy, it's clear Tucker is ready for a fight inside a courtroom.

This was destined to be the case for the former Michigan State head football coach, who felt as if the school launched this investigation as a way out of his massive contract.

From the very second the Spartans decided they had enough to fire him for cause, Mel Tucker knew he could enter the trenches against Brenda Tracy and the university. The problem for the former head coach has always been that he admitted to some type of relationship with an outside contractor-vender, and he did it without telling the school.

Add on the fact that a sexual harassment complaint was filed, the school then had all they felt was legally needed to fire him for cause.

There was always more to this whole ordeal that was going to play out, more likely in a courtroom than a hearing on campus.

Well, this came to fruition Thursday when Tucker's legal team released a letter, in which attorney Jennifer Belveal wrote that her firm "received approximately 20,000 new communications or documents involving Ms. Tracy."

"This new evidence undermines MSU’s decision to terminate Mr. Tucker, and further confirms that the underlying 'investigation' failed to meet minimal due diligence standards-At Mr. Tucker's expense."

This was the next round of 'evidence' from Tucker's team, who decided this was a better route to take than the hearing which took place Thursday.

Mel Tucker Attorney's Hope To Make Brenda Tracy Look Untruthful

When Mel Tucker's attorneys released the eight-page letter, along with a heavily redacted list of text messages, one could easily see the coach's end-game. By releasing text messages that pertain to Brenda Tracy reaching out to multiple reporters about her story, they are likely hoping this can put doubt into the minds of folks pertaining to who leaked her name.

Also, by releasing certain text messages between Brenda Tracy and her now-deceased former assistant, Tucker shines a light on a certain timeline of events. According to messages, Brenda Tracy first discussed bringing a complaint against Mel Tucker in September of 2022, four months before it was actually filed.

There are messages from 2021 between Tracy and Ahlan Alvarado that discuss the relationship with Mel Tucker, mentioning the pair could get tickets from the former head coach to the Spartans' bowl game.

It's a back-and-forth between the pair over a two-year period, with attorneys looking to paint a picture of a different woman than perceived. (By the way, it's their job to dig up every single potential piece of evidence that could portray a different set of goals by Brenda Tracy.)

Conversations About Filing Complaint Date Back To September

Conversations allegedly took a turn in September of 2022, when the mention of a (litigious) sexual harassment complaint was brought up between Brenda Tracy and her former assistant Alan Alvarado.

"Karen- a lawyer is reaching out to the head lawyer at MSU to discuss what this might look like moving forward," Tracy texted Ahlan Alvarado. "She's going to gauge their response and we will go from there but sounds like we will be asking Tucker to not speak on me or the incident and him or MSU will need to make an anonymous donation to STE so that we can further our work.

"Karen said once she can test their tolerance - like do they just want this to just go away - then she'll be able to better help me make decisions. Having him just sign an NDA tho just means he did it no one will know and there are no consequences for him."

This is where the attorneys for Mel Tucker are trying to paint a picture that Brenda Tracy is doing this only for money, including messages where Tracy says she had $5 dollars to her name, and the IRS was looking to repayment.

In these messages, presented by Tucker's attorney

"Money is my only recourse to make him feel like there is a punishment and I can request it be anonymous so that he can't take credit for it," Tracy wrote in another text message about Mel Tucker. The complainant would then go on to say that she was "not even sure he (Mel Tucker) would agree to it but I think I should try and if it leaked then it's a donation to my work, not me" while discussing this with her assistant."

"Could look like I tried to extort him and then followed it up with a lawyer," Tracy wrote.

TO READ THE FULL LETTER, CLICK HERE. WARNING, IT'S HEAVILY REDACTED

Setting Table For Massive Lawsuit. Who Leaked Tracy's Name?

This is going to come down to a lawsuit outsides the confines of Michigan State.

Both sides are playing this out before the public, no matter what either is saying. From the initial story on why Mel Tucker was being investigated, to the release of alleged text messages on Thursday, social media and the internet are working as the courtroom.

Was all of this part of some grand scheme by both sides?

With Mel Tucker, the former Michigan State coach reportedly tried to have this case washed away several different times, while also dodging having to answer questions from an investigator. He has maintained a consensual conversation should not be grounds for being fired for cause, even though the Spartans clearly didn't agree.

As for the conversation on who leaked Brenda Tracy's name or was about to, which gave USA Today the green light to publish, it's complicated.

But, Mel Tucker's attorneys are trying to show you how it could have happened. By revealing text messages that show Brenda Tracy spoke with reporters from both ESPN and USA Today, it's easy for someone to think this is where the leak came from.

"I just talked to my new ESPN reporter," Brenda Tracy texted her friend Ahlan Alverado on May 16th, 2023.

When Ahlan followed up by asking how the conversation went, Tracy discussed they had an understanding of how to approach the story.

"Good. I like him. He said they aren't going to do anything yet. But obviously if they get tipped off about other outlets or if MT (Mel Tucker) does something they would need to cover it," Tracy wrote.

Brenda Tracy also mentioned that she understood the process, but "I'm also trying to get through the school process."

ESPN did put out a story the same night as USA Today, noting that they were discussing whether or not to hire outside counsel to sue Michigan State over FOIA requests.

So, the point is, there were more than just some whispers of what was going on in East Lansing, and this is a reason why Mel Tucker's attorneys would include this in the non-redacted part.

Public Fight Between Brenda Tracy, Mel Tucker, Michigan State

This has unfortunately been played out in the public for over a month now, and both sides are looking for ways to persuade the audience to believe their truth.

The problem with what we've seen so far from both sides is that there are a lot of questions unanswered, and we don't know who to 100% trust in this public showdown.

For as much mud that has been slung towards Mel Tucker over the last month, his attorneys decided to throw some back on Thursday. Now, we'll see which side sticks, for the sake of the truth.