Ravens Release Kicker Justin Tucker After Massage Therapists Allegations
The Baltimore Ravens announced Monday that they are releasing kicker Justin Tucker from the team. The news arrives after multiple massage therapists accused Tucker of sexually inappropriate behavior in a report published by The Baltimore Banner months prior.
Executive Vice President and General Manager Eric DeCosta addressed the release in a statement shared on Monday. 'Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances,' said DeCosta. 'Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker.' DeCosta made no mention of the accusations in his statement.
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In January, six Baltimore-area massage therapists accused Tucker of sexual misconduct in an investigation published by The Baltimore Banner. The following month, three more therapists — all of whom were employed at Baltimore luxury spa The QG — claimed that they had similar encounters with the All-Pro placekicker.
Tucker, 35, who had been with the team since 2012, previously denied the allegations and in a lengthy social media post, called them 'unequivocally false.' Tucker said that he'd 'never before been accused of misconduct of anytime' and claimed the Banner was 'deliberately misconstruing events as nefarious,' while calling the newspaper's report 'desperate tabloid fodder.'
'I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session,' Tucker wrote at the time. 'I would never intent to offend or hurt anyone, ever.'
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His attorneys Thomas A. Clare and Steven J. Harrison also previously denied the claims to the Banner, stating that Tucker 'has never behaved inappropriately during any massage therapy session, and certainly never in the manner described.'
The Raven's announcement comes a day after its head coach John Harbaugh said the NFL was still investigating misconduct allegations against Tucker and that any decisions the team made about the kicker 'would be based on football.'
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