Ravens coach John Harbaugh discusses 'complicated' decision to release Justin Tucker
Earlier this month, the Baltimore Ravens released Justin Tucker as 16 massage therapists from eight different Baltimore spa and wellness centers accused him of inappropriate behavior due to alleged incidents between 2012 and 2016.
The team, though, called the roster move a "football decision" after the 35-year-old, who is a five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, had his worst year in the NFL in 2024 with a 73.3% field-goal percentage.
Tucker made 22 of his 30 field-goal attempts, missing 3-of-8 from 40-49 yards and 6-of-11 from 50 yards and beyond. He also missed two of his 62 extra point attempts.
He still has the all-time career field-goal percentage at 89.1%, and head coach John Harbaugh said the scenario is "complicated."
"I mean, you're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game. And like we said, it's multilayered [and] it's complicated," Harbaugh told the media on Wednesday, via ESPN. "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. 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?"
The Baltimore Banner first reported the allegations, with victims saying Tucker repeatedly exposed himself during a span of four years, including his rookie campaign when the Ravens won the Super Bowl.
Tucker has denied all allegations, calling them "unequivocally false" in a statement posted to social media.
"Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sought to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism. I have never before been accused of misconduct of any kind, and I have never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during a massage therapy session or during other bodywork," Tucker's statement said.
"I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, have never been dismissed from a massage therapy or bodywork session and have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business."
Six massage therapists came out first, followed by seven more women and an eventual total of 16. The accusations from all women are similar.
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