There’s no real FMLA leave claim here. The “serious health condition” must be that he did something really stupid and now, after-the-fact, is trying to concoct a reason why he shouldn’t have been fired.
I bet the men in the Michigan State Athletic Department haven’t been this grateful for the existence of masterbation since they were 13.
1 Like
PTSD!
Poorly
Timed
Spanking
Disorder
2 Likes
I’m not sure how a health condition comes into play with all of this, but I’m still trying to figure out how he violated any contract morality clauses.
IF… we are taking him at his word…
Consensual relationship between the 2.
He was/is separated from his wife.
Ms. Taylor was not under any contract or employment with the university.
This was a private affair that has nothing to do with the university and was determined to not be a Title IX issue.
Where is the morality violation?
1 Like
Did Tucker embarrass the University? Yes.
Did Tucker admit doing the deed? Yes.
1 Like
Yeah the whole morality clause/bringing ill repute to the employer part of any contract sounds like a bigger gray space than an elephant’s backside. MSU must be really determined to get out from under Tucker’s contract to pursue the legal battle they have to know will come.
When Michigan fired its former president, they had the advantage that his inappropriate emails were with a subordinate. Since he had personally helped craft the policy that his behavior violated, he had no recourse and couldn’t claim that he had misinterpreted anything.
1 Like
I am no expert. But someone posted a piece from his contract about ‘bringing embarrassment on the university’ or something like that. I believe this latest circus may qualify. I don’t know, I am not a lawyer…
I have a hard time believing there wasn’t a contract or agreement between the university or AD and Ms. Taylor, even if it had lapsed. And a reminder that even an email exchange can be considered an agreement.
Secondly, as a public figure, whether you like it or not, you’re held to a different standard. That standard enables you to receive sums of money that ordinary folk who don’t necessarily have to meet that standard will never, ever have access to.
THAT is where Mel Tucker is ■■■■■■.
It isn’t about a relationship being consensual. It isn’t about his relationship status. Part of his contract with the school is not just coaching a sports ball team, it’s being a symbolic representative of major institution. And instead of appreciating that, he decided to masturbate on a phone call with a sexual assault survivor.
This is open and shut.
1 Like
a) Marisa Tomei is a goddess.
b) That movie is underrated
c) Fantastic use of that clip
1 Like
OK. So where is that line in the sand that would constitute an embarrassment to the university?
What if she wasn’t a past survivor of sexual assault and just someone that spoke at the university once, 2 years ago, about sexual assault? Would that also cross the line?
What if she wasn’t a past survivor of sexual assault, and never had any relationship with the university in the past. Just a girl he had an intimate relationship with over the phone?
What if it was a long time girlfriend that he happen to have phone sex with?
What if it was his wife that he had phone sex with?
None of them would have been independent contractors hired by the University to address or provide Title IX and/or sexual harassment training to its’ employees and student athletes.
Once you get married, that’s usually the closest a married man will ever get to oral sex again. 
1 Like
This is where I’m at. I suspect that there was a lot more back and forth to this relationship over the course of the many months it was happening. I know that Mel Tucker cannot perform his job as head coach of MSU football anymore, even if he wanted to, because everyone in the known universe is talking about how he masturbated while on the phone with a rape survivor. You just can’t lead a locker room or represent a university in that context–especially one still recovering from a massively public sexual assault scandal.
By NOT making smarter decisions to avoid putting the university in this position (for example, choosing to NOT try to conduct a sexual relationship with a public rape survivor who speaks to college football teams about sexual assault, who is also a contractor for MSU and whose future paychecks were under his control), Tucker created this humiliating situation that the university now has to deal with.
The term “moral turpitude” might give the impression that this is a vague subjective concept. It doesn’t matter. Tucker’s behavior, and lack of caution in protecting the institution paying him $90 million, put the university in an untenable position. They have no choice but to move on.
“Tugger Disappointed in Latest Cock-Block”
I still think is headed to court and with msu’s history, I would not be shocked if they have to pay tucker 80 mil. Lots of moving parts here
No way Tucker gets $80M. Besides the fact that he has a legal duty to mitigate his damages by finding other employment (admittedly difficult given his admissions), his case has very little appeal to the average juror. It would take a lot of chutzpah to walk into court claiming you’re client is entitled to $80M after being fired for yanking his wanky.
@REMRebound you definitely make a good argument, and I guess I cant say I disagree.
Something about this whole situation just seems wrong, that an employee can get fired, have his livelyhood taken away, and lose 10s of millions of dollars over a potentially false allegation.
1 Like
That’s the thing–he apparently admitted it to the investigator (and usually those investigative interviews are taped), so how could he claim it’s false?