Peter Goplerud Opines on Potential Cost of Terminating Contract of College Football Coach

Spencer Fane attorney Peter Goplerud was recently quoted in an MLive.com article examining the ongoing controversy surrounding Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker.

In the piece, The $75 Million Legal Questions of a Potential Michigan State-Mel Tucker Split, Goplerud spoke with MLive’s Kyle Austin about the costly payout the university might have to make to terminate Tucker following sexual harassment allegations. Goplerud explained why the agreement’s ambiguous language about “conduct which constitutes moral turpitude” might work in Tucker’s favor.

The contract “is not as detailed as many that I’ve seen,” Goplerud said. “There are some that lay out all kinds of specific conduct, and then they have kind of a catch-all phrase at the end of it. This one, it gives the university a lot of leeway but also would potentially give Tucker some argument that maybe it’s too vague and doesn’t fit.”

At Spencer Fane, Goplerud serves as of counsel in the Higher Education practice. With a focus on higher education and sports law, he is a frequent lecturer and is widely published in the sports law area, including serving as co-author of leading textbooks on the subject. Goplerud also has extensive accreditation experience, particularly within legal education, having served as chair of numerous ABA Site Evaluation teams. Read the full article here.