Brenda Tracy sues MSU trustees for whistleblower leak: 'My life has been destroyed'

FOX 2 - One day after she filed a lawsuit against Michigan State University, sexual assault survivor advocate Brenda Tracy is sharing her story.

"It's been literal hell since I was outed," she said.

Outed — as the woman who accused former MSU football coach Mel Tucker of sexual harassment.

Tracy is a sexual assault survivor and activist who accused Tucker of sexual harassment, including non-consensual phone sex in 2022, filing a lawsuit against him later.

"This has always been about accountability from day one, holding Mel Tucker accountable for his behavior and his threats toward me," she said.  "And now I’m in a position I shouldn’t be in."

That position is filing a federal lawsuit — suing the Michigan State University Board of Trustees - specifically naming Dennis Denno and Rema Vassar.

"I believe they had involvement with the leak of my name, which forced me to go public with the details of the case," Tracy said. "And that is not what is supposed to happen. I was supposed to be able to go through the RVSM process and investigation without being outed."

But her name has been very public she says, making her the target of harassment, harming her mental health and causing monetary damages.

"You name it, it’s happened," she said. "I have to dissolve my nonprofit now. My life has been destroyed because of this."

FOX 2: "If you could say anything to these two trustees what would you say to them?"

"Shame on you. How dare you? You’re publicly elected officials," she said. "The word trustee has trust in it."

Related: 

• Report finds no evidence of leak in Mel Tucker investigation
• Brenda Tracy went public with Mel Tucker accusations after her name was leaked, says statement

FOX 2 reached out to the board specifically and did not hear back.

A university spokeswoman said MSU does not comment on ongoing litigation.

Tracy’s defamation case with Mel Tucker is ongoing. A Title IX investigation found Tucker violated the university’s sexual misconduct policy. His appeal was denied.

"I’m dealing with a lot of people in power and I’m one person, and I have an excellent attorney," she said. "But it feels very David and Goliath to me right now. But we know how that story turned out.

"I’m just dealing with everything one day at a time."