Campus culture played role in Luke Fickell turning down Michigan State football job

The last several years of controversy swirling around Michigan State University helped convince the school's first choice for head football coach to turn down the job, multiple sources told the Free Press on Monday.

And it wasn't just Luke Fickell, the current University of Cincinnati coach, who had the concerns. His wife, Amy, and Luke to some extent, had concerns about campus culture at MSU, including lawsuits roiling the football department.Those concerns were part of the reason the Fickells turned down the Michigan State football job on Monday, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press.

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MSU tried to alleviate the concerns during a meeting between the couple and MSU administrators Sunday, by including Jennifer Smith, MSU senior women's administrator and senior associate athletic director for compliance, in the interview.

The interview was conducted at Fickell's home. No offer was extended, but it was understood the job was his if he wanted it.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the search. The University of Cincinnati referred the Free Press to a video it posted Monday of Fickell addressing the decision.

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He said the biggest reason he decided to stay was his family. The Fickells have six children.

"The bottom line is, first and foremost, family. Obviously my family loves it here, I have a unique situation with the age of my kids," Fickell said. "... I had to make a selfish decision, but this selfish decision was what was right for my family, and that is to be here."

He said he spent the last 48 hours “just trying to make a decision that was right for everybody.”

MSU has faced several years of controversies, including the Larry Nassar scandal, where MSU administrators were accused of covering up their knowledge of his sexual assaults of hundreds of gymnasts. MSU President Lou Anna Simon resigned in the fallout and is currently on trial for charges she lied to the police. Her replacement, Interim President John Engler, also resigned under heavy pressure for his insensitive reaction to Nassar survivors.

In the athletic department, athletic director Mark Hollis resigned as ESPN dropped a bombshell of a report about sexual assaults by athletes. Current athletic director Bill Beekman was the board secretary and a close confidant of Simon before being named as the athletic director, thanks in large part to pressure from then-football coach Mark Dantonio and basketball coach Tom Izzo.

Dantonio and Hollis have been in the news lately, thanks to a lawsuit from former football staffer Curtis Blackwell, who has been alleging Dantonio violated NCAA rules in arranging jobs for recruits' families and for pressing to get Auston Robertson, who multiple MSU staffers expressed concerns about, admitted to the university, where he then sexually assaulted a female student.

MSU's visit to Cincinnati was the last stop on a weekend trip around the country for Beekman and other athletic department officials. That included stops in Colorado to talk to University of Colorado coach Mel Tucker and San Jose to talk to San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

The need for a process with multiple interviews was pushed for by MSU board members, including Brianna Scott, who sent an email shortly after Dantonio resigned telling administrators they needed to tell the board what process they were using.

"I also asked that Trustees be engaged with what is going on," she told the Free Press.

The board was expected to get its next briefing on the search Monday evening.

Fickell, 46, has been the front-runner to replace Dantonio since Tuesday's unexpected retirement announcement. Dantonio coached 13 seasons at MSU, winning three Big Ten titles, one Rose Bowl and reaching the College Football Playoff.

It was not immediately clear which direction MSU would now head in the search.

Bret Bielema, the former Arkansas and Wisconsin coach, has "definite" interest in the job, according to a person with knowledge of Bielema's thinking. As of late Monday, Bielema, 50, had yet to make contact with Beekman.

Mike Tressel, currently serving as MSU's interim coach, also is a candidate.

Saleh, a Dearborn native, declined to interview for the job last week. And Tucker tweeted Saturday he was staying at Colorado after interviewing with MSU.

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj