The Detroit Free Press sued the State of Michigan for its refusal to turn over open files regarding school gifts that were used to help fund the salary of head football coach Mel Tucker, the announced publication. The Free Press argues that the state of Michigan violated open records laws when it blocked a Free Press request for its deals with donors Mat Ishbia and Steve St. Andre.
University president Samuel Stanley later rejected an appeal for the records, saying the university considered individual privacy to be greater than the interest of publication in the matter. Ishbia and St. Andre would be Michigan State’s two biggest athletic donors.
“It is the University’s position that the privacy interests of individuals outweigh the Free Press’ stated interest in disclosure,” Stanley wrote in his denial to the Free Press..
Free Press legal counsel Herschel Fink disputed Stanley’s assertion on Tuesday, saying the public “has a right to know” what promises the school made in return for the monetary gifts. It was previously reported that Ishbia and St. Andre both donated “millions” to help fund Tucker’s 10-year, $95 million contract that was awarded late last year, according to The Free Press.
“Contracts with public bodies are the essence of public records,” Fink said Tuesday, via The Free Press.. “The public has a right to know what promises MSU made in return for these gifts and MSU and these alumni have publicly celebrated their generosity. There is nothing ‘private’ about these deals.”
Fink went on to cite the law, citing no institution is exempt from investigation by The Free Press.
“No exception is recognized under the FOIA that applies to the Free Press request”, and the “privacy exception” in (state law) does not apply, as the information requested is not “personal information,” and even if it were, disclosure of the information would not “constitute a manifestly unjustified invasion of the privacy of any individual,” Fink wrote in the lawsuit, via The Free Press.
The State of Michigan declined to comment on the lawsuit, according to the outlet. The Free Press said the university had not seen the lawsuit when it declined to comment on the matter.
Tucker is entering his third year as Michigan State coach after being hired from Colorado in 2020. The Spartans went 11-2 in the 2021 campaign and posted a top 10 finish in the Associated Press Top 25 poll .
Tucker is entering his third year as Michigan State coach after being hired from Colorado in 2020. The Spartans went 11-2 in the 2021 campaign and posted a top 10 finish in the Associated Press Top 25 poll .
“As far as the target on my back, nothing really changed for me or for us inside our building,” Tucker told 247Sports in April. “Really, the change was maybe the perception of our program or the perception of me nationally. That’s really what changed. There’s all eyes on East Lansing right now, which Everybody wants to know, hey, what’s going on at East Lansing? How did those guys go from 2-5 to 11-2? How do they use the portal? Why all those top four players? and five stars care about michigan state why do these guys make these visits here all this fuss which is good which is good because once people really watch this what we’re doing, they see it’s not hype, it’s real We have a great culture, we have a great process and we have a will mentality, a relentless mentality, and we have great coaches and great support staff here. It just highlights what we do.”
