The NCAA has finally handed down punishments to Michigan State dating back to the end of the Mel Tucker era.
Tucker, who was fired during the 2023 season, was found to have committed multiple recruiting violations during his time with the Spartans. While Tucker is no longer with the program, Michigan State must still comply with the NCAA’s ruling.
After going 11‑2 in 2021, Michigan State has won a combined 17 games over the past four seasons under three different head coaches. Here’s a look at how the Spartans were penalized for their violations.
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Why was Michigan State placed on NCAA probation?
The NCAA put Michigan State on probation after the school committed recruiting violations under former head coach Mel Tucker. Between 2021 and 2023, the NCAA claims that Tucker's program provided over $10,000 in impermissible recruiting inducements, including airfare and lodging for a pair of players who had unofficial visits with the school.
Additionally, the NCAA found that former general manager and player personnel director Saeed Khalif offered to pay for one recruit’s family vacation to prevent the recruit from visiting other programs. Khalif also reportedly provided about $3,075 for plane fare for three recruits and their family members. All three players ultimately attended Michigan State and participated in 26 games while ineligible.
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What penalties is Michigan State facing?
The NCAA put Michigan State on three-year probation for the program's recruiting violations during the Mel Tucker era. Additionally, the NCAA vacated 14 program wins from 2022 to 2024, which includes all five wins from Jonathan Smith's first year as head coach because all three ineligible players played that season.
As part of the punishment, Michigan State must surrender $30,000 and 1.5 percent of the football program’s budget. The school also faces numerous recruiting restrictions.
Former head coach Mel Tucker, former general manager and player personnel director Saeed Khalif, and former assistant coach Brandon Jordan all received show-cause penalties. Tucker’s penalty will last three years, Khalif’s six, and Jordan’s five. While Khalif and Jordan were found responsible for their direct actions, Tucker was also penalized for failing to properly oversee his program.
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What is a show-cause penalty?
The NCAA gives show-cause penalties to coaches whom they've deemed to commit major rule violations. Essentially, any school that wants to hire these coaches must navigate additional hurdles while the show-cause penalties are in effect.
Schools seeking to hire coaches with a show-cause penalty must demonstrate to the NCAA why the coach is unlikely to commit rule violations at the new program and why the school itself should not be penalized for the hire.
“A show-cause order is an order that requires a member institution to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Committee on Infractions why it should not be subject to a penalty or additional penalty for failing to take appropriate disciplinary or corrective action with regard to an institutional staff member or representative of the institution’s athletics interests found by the Committee of Infractions to have been involved in a violation of NCAA bylaws,” the NCAA rulebook states.
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Why was Mel Tucker fired from Michigan State?
Michigan State fired Mel Tucker for caus e in the middle of the 2023 season after Tucker was accused of sexual assault by a guest lecturer at the school. That is less than two years after he signed a 10-year, $95 million extension with the program in 2021.
What is Mel Tucker doing now?
Tucker, who was a veteran football coach in both college and the NFL for over two decades, hasn't worked in either league since Michigan State fired him.