Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh finally breaks silence on 'complicated' Justin Tucker release
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has finally addressed the release of Justin Tucker, three weeks after the franchise made the 'complex' decision to cut the kicker.
The scandalized NFL star was released by the team earlier this month after his future was called into question following a number of shocking allegations.
Earlier this year, the married football player was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists from across eight spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area.
Tucker has denied any wrongdoing and previously branded the accusations 'shocking and heart-breaking'. But on May 5, the Ravens made the 'tough decision' to release him.
Speaking for the first time since the release, head coach Harbaugh maintained Wednesday that the move was a 'football decision.'
'I mean, you're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game,' Harbaugh said, via ESPN. 'And like we said, it's multi-layered [and] it's complicated. But in the end, it all comes back to what you have to do to get ready for your team to play the first game. And I think if you step back and you take a look at all the issues and all the ramifications, you can understand that we've got to get our football team ready and we've got to have a kicker to go. And that was the move that we decided to make.'
"So in that sense, it's a football decision and now we have to spend all of our focus and our time to get these kickers ready,' he added following the Ravens' second OTA practice of the offseason.
'We've got a competition going on and [we've got to] get these guys ready to make kicks. So that's all I'm thinking about. From my perspective, it's like, 'We have to have a kicker out there making kicks,' and what's the best way to get that done?"
In a statement announcing Tucker's release, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta made no mention of the allegations, instead heaping praise on Tucker, a Super Bowl champion who had been with the Ravens since 2012. DeCosta's comments came under intense scrutiny.
Among the allegations leveled against Tucker are that he repeatedly - and deliberately - exposed his erect genitals.
Two therapists claim he brushed them with his penis. More than once, meanwhile, the kicker is accused of leaving what appeared to be ejaculate on the massage table.
Back in February, it was reported that NFL investigators visited Baltimore to interview therapists who had made the bombshell claims about the Ravens kicker.
Around the same time, DeCosta called the allegations 'serious and concerning' and refused to rule out terminating Tucker's contract.
On Monday, however, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh insisted any decision on Tucker's future 'has to be based on football'.
Tucker, 35, recently finished his 13th season in the NFL, all with the Ravens. His 66-yard field goal in 2021 remains the longest successful kick in league history.
In 2022, he agreed to a four-year contract extension through the 2027 season. That deal included $17.5million guaranteed. But in 2024, Tucker endured the worst season of his career and in this month's draft, Baltimore added kicker Tyler Loop to their roster.
That decision sparked renewed speculation surrounding the future of Tucker, who insisted back in February: 'I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session, nor have I ever been told I am unwelcome at any massage therapy provider. These claims are simply not true.'
The alleged incidents are all said to have occurred between 2012 - Tucker's rookie season in Baltimore - and 2016.
Tucker's wife Amanda Bass said she 'fully supports' her husband and believes he has been 'falsely' accused.
The 35-year-old met Bass at the University of Texas before they married in 2015. They have one child together and she told Outkick: 'The false allegations against Justin have caused so much hurt to our family. I believe my husband, and I love and support him fully.'
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