Baltimore Ravens release Justin Tucker, calling it a ‘football decision' amid NFL investigation into inappropriate behavior

Chicago Tribune

05-05-2025

Justin Tucker's career as a Raven has come to a stunning end.
Baltimore released its longtime kicker on Monday, more than three months after more than a dozen female massage therapists accused Tucker of acting inappropriately at several Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers. The NFL's investigation into the allegations against him remains under review, league spokesperson Brian McCarthy confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.
'Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances. Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker,' Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement Monday.
'Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus, drive, resilience and extraordinary talent made him one of the league's best kickers for over a decade. We are grateful for Justin's many contributions while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of their lives.'
Tucker, 35, had been the Ravens' kicker since 2012, was one of the faces of the franchise and has long been considered one of the greatest kickers in the history of the sport and a likely Pro Football Hall of Fame selection.
He has denied the allegations, calling them 'unequivocally false,' in a lengthy statement that he posted on X after the first Baltimore Banner report in which six massage therapists said he exposed his genitals, brushed two of them with his exposed penis and left what was believed to be ejaculate on the massage table following three of his treatments, among other disturbing details. The alleged incidents took place between 2012 and 2016, according to the report, and led to Tucker allegedly being banned from two spas, Ojas and Studio 921.
A Ravens spokesperson said following the initial report that the organization was aware of The Banner's story and that it takes 'any allegations of this nature seriously' and would continue to 'monitor the situation.'
But after the initial story and Tucker's subsequent denial, several more women came forward days later with strikingly similar accounts in another Baltimore Banner report. One of those women also spoke to The Sun.
One of the accusers provided the The Banner with a letter she said she shared with her employer in 2015 that said Tucker 'made it a point in previous sessions to expose his erect genitals to me by untucking the drapes, regardless of how many times I have to redrape him and tell him he is messing up the drapes.' She also accused Tucker of running his fingers 'along my inner thigh' and leaving a 'large spot of ejaculation on my bottom sheet' where his genitals had been and signed the letter, which was also signed by someone she said was her supervisor.
The NFL previously said it takes 'any allegation seriously' and that it was looking into the matter, though that process can take months.
The league's personal conduct policy for players states that even if a case does not 'rise to the level of criminal charges, players are held to a higher standard and could still face punishment, including suspension.' It also states that players could face punishment for 'assault and/or battery, including sexual assault or other sex offenses.'
In 2022, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended by the NFL for 11 games and fined $5 million after more than 20 women alleged that he committed sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. Watson denied the allegations and reached confidential settlements with most of the accusers.
That same year, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked about Watson's suspension, which was initially two games and then six games before an agreement on a longer period, and praised the organization's 'zero tolerance' policy for domestic violence that was put in place after video emerged of running back Ray Rice punching his future wife in an elevator in 2014.
'We stayed away from that particular situation when we drafted players and signed free agents,' Harbaugh said then. 'That's [owner] Steve [Bisciotti's'] decision, and I'm glad we have that policy.'
The Ravens released Rice in 2014 after the video emerged, but in 2018 kept cornerback Jimmy Smith after he was suspended for four games after the NFL found evidence of 'threatening and emotionally abusive behaviors' toward a former girlfriend that also displayed 'a pattern of improper conduct.'
Last year, wide receiver Zay Flowers did not face discipline from the league or the team after a police investigation into an alleged incident was suspended without any charges and team president Sashi Brown said last March there had been 'no change' in the franchise's 'philosophy' and 'approach' with regards to the policy.
As for Tucker, the five-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowl selection and currently the most accurate kicker in NFL history (89.1%) was set to enter the second year of a four-year, $24 million contract extension that he signed in August 2022.
A Texas native and undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2012, Tucker quickly became a prominent figure on the field and off it.
He made the game-winning field goal in the team's 'Mile High Miracle' playoff victory over the Broncos in Denver as a rookie and hit a 38-yard field goal that proved to be the margin of victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47 that season. In 2021, he set an NFL record for the longest field goal with a 66-yarder as time expired to lift the Ravens to a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions.
His 417 made field goals are also the most among active kickers and a franchise record, and his 1,775 points scored are also a franchise record and rank 16th all-time.
Away from the game, he was omnipresent in the Baltimore area in advertisements for Royal Farms. The New York Times Magazine and '60 Minutes' profiled his operatic skills. He has talked about his faith and used his singing to raise funds for the Baltimore-based nonprofit Catholic Charities.
But he also had his worst season in 2024, making a career-low 73.3% of his field goal attempts and missing two extra point attempts.
Still, until the allegations surfaced, Baltimore had planned for Tucker to be its kicker next season.
'I think he finished the season strong,' DeCosta said during the team's season-ending news conference. 'I think I have every expectation that Justin's going to be a great kicker for us next year and moving forward.'