Latest news with #JustinTucker
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
John Harbaugh digs deeper into details that helped fuel Justin Tucker's release
John Harbaugh digs deeper into details that helped fuel Justin Tucker's release John Harbaugh explains the Ravens' reasoning behind releasing Justin Tucker. For more than a dozen seasons, there was rarely a reason to discuss placekicking when mentioning the Baltimore Ravens. There was never really a reason to. They were home to one of the best, so unless Justin Tucker's brilliance was the topic of conversation, he typically went unmentioned. Few moments in football were as automatic as the Ravens' special-teams unit lining up for a field goal or extra-point try. Of course, Justin was going to come through. He always did, and after 13 seasons, he was the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Something wasn't right during the 2024 regular-season campaign, though. Something shifted. Tucker wasn't as automatic, and the 'sure thing' regressed into a weekly conversation about kicking woes. Tucker only converted 73% of his field goal attempts, the worst percentage of his career. He was released on May 5th. Now, the discussions involving the Ravens and kicking involve a battle between a sixth-round draft choice and an undrafted guy they signed after a rookie minicamp workout. We all knew head coach John Harbaugh would be asked about this fairly often, and that's been the case. Recently, the media caught up with him again at OTAs. Ravens head coach digs deeper into the circumstances involving Justin Tucker's release. A "complex decision-making process" is how Ravens head coach John Harbaugh described Justin Tucker's release. A "football move" is how it was explained, but it came during the NFL's investigation into some recent and unfortunate accusations. Tucker has publicly denied all allegations. Baltimore has chosen to move forward without him. Tucker's 13 seasons in the NFL produced five First-Team All-Pro nods, three Second-Team All-Pro mentions, and seven trips to the Pro Bowl. He's a Super Bowl champion and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, but Baltimore will spend its summer evaluating a competition between Tyler Loop and John Hoyland.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Harbaugh says cutting ties with Justin Tucker was a 'complex' decision for the Ravens
Before Baltimore cut ties with Justin Tucker early this month, coach John Harbaugh said whatever the Ravens decided to do would be a football decision. That doesn't mean it was simple. Harbaugh was available to local reporters Wednesday for the first time since the Ravens announced May 5 they were releasing Tucker. The five-time All-Pro kicker had been accused by over a dozen massage therapists of inappropriate sexual behavior, according to reporting by the Baltimore Banner. The NFL said it would investigate, but it's not clear when that process will conclude. "It was a complex decision-making process, and I'm a part of it," Harbaugh said, adding that owner Steve Bisciotti, president Sashi Brown and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome were involved in the move, along with general manager Eric DeCosta. "You're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game, and like we said, it's multilayered. 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," Harbaugh added. "I think if you step back and 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 ready to go. That was the move that we decided to make, so in that sense, it's a football decision." The Ravens drafted kicker Tyler Loop out of Arizona this offseason, and they also signed undrafted rookie kicker John Hoyland of Wyoming. When the team moved on from Tucker, DeCosta released a statement citing "current roster" considerations as being part of the decision. Harbaugh is now suggesting that Tucker's uncertain availability may have played a bigger role than his performance, which slipped noticeably for much of last season. "If it was just a black and white, simple thing, then it would be easy to understand, but I think anybody can look at the whole thing in perspective and say, 'OK, we've got to have a kicker ready to go, and there's a whole lot of moving parts of that deal,'" Harbaugh said. "It's just the reality of it, and you're faced with that." Harbaugh also addressed another big issue from the past month — the loss of safety Ar'Darius Washington to a torn Achilles tendon. "It was a clean tear, if you want to call it that, so it's one of those ones that heals ... it's the more quick-healing version," Harbaugh said. "Ar'Darius tells me he'll be back in November. He's always been a quick healer. I'm looking at November, December in my mind, so yes, we're counting on him being back."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Baltimore Ravens release Justin Tucker amid sexual misconduct allegations; NFL's top kicker faces career uncertainty
Justin Tucker released amid sexual misconduct investigation (Image via: Getty Images) The Baltimore Ravens have officially released Justin Tucker, widely regarded as the best kicker in NFL history, amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. This unexpected move has sent shockwaves through the league and among fans, dramatically reshaping the Ravens' roster as they prepare for the new season. While head coach John Harbaugh insists the decision was purely based on football reasons, the timing and surrounding circumstances suggest a far more complicated situation behind the scenes. Ravens cut ties with Justin Tucker amid legal troubles Justin Tucker's release marks one of the most surprising roster moves in recent NFL history. Known for his unparalleled accuracy and clutch kicks, Tucker has been a cornerstone of Baltimore's success for years. However, with multiple sexual misconduct allegations now under investigation by the NFL, the Ravens opted to part ways with their veteran kicker. During Organized Team Activities (OTAs), head coach John Harbaugh described the situation as 'complicated' but framed the move as a necessary football decision to prepare the team for the upcoming season. '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,' Harbaugh said, emphasizing the multi-layered nature of the decision. Tucker's on-field performance had slipped in 2024, his worst professional season to date, but it was the emerging off-field issues that appeared to accelerate Baltimore's decision. The team's recent selection of rookie kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, along with the signing of undrafted free agent John Hoyland, signaled a clear shift toward rebuilding the kicker position. Also Read: Stefon Diggs viral boat video controversy triggers major backlash, deeply impacting New England Patriots' reputation Despite the controversy, Tucker has denied all allegations. The Ravens' move highlights the difficult balance NFL teams must strike between managing legal challenges and maintaining competitive focus. With the kicking competition now wide open, Baltimore is set for a season of uncertainty but the impact of this decision will reverberate both on and off the field for months to come. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
John Harbaugh says Ravens releasing Justin Tucker was ‘multi-layered decision'
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh addressed the team's decision to release kicker Justin Tucker in May for the first time Wednesday, telling reporters that cutting ties with Tucker was 'complex' and a 'multi-layered decision.' Since January, Tucker has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by 16 Baltimore-area massage therapists from eight different spas in alleged incidents dating back to 2012. The NFL opened an ongoing investigation into the allegations in February. Advertisement In April, the Ravens selected kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, then released Tucker on May 5 for 'football reasons.' Tucker, 35, is a five-time All-Pro but is coming off a career-worst season with eight missed field goal attempts in 2024. 'If it was just a black and white simple thing, then it would be easy to understand,' Harbaugh said. 'But I think anybody can look at the whole thing in perspective and say, 'OK, we've got to have a kicker ready to go,' and there's a whole lot of moving parts of that deal.' In OTAs, Loop and undrafted rookie free agent John Hoyland have split kicking reps, with Wednesday being Hoyland's turn to handle kicking duties. 'I mean, you're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game,' Harbaugh said, referring to Tucker. '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,' Harbaugh said. '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. '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.' Tucker has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations 'unequivocally false.' Harbaugh, who had not spoken with reporters since Tucker's release, said Wednesday that the call to cut the kicker was a group decision involving owner Steve Bisciotti, president Sashi Brown, executive vice president Ozzie Newsome and general manager Eric DeCosta.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ravens' John Harbaugh explains 'complex' decision to release Justin Tucker
Ravens' John Harbaugh explains 'complex' decision to release Justin Tucker Show Caption Hide Caption Ravens release kicker Justin Tucker after massage therapist allgations Ravens release kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 different employees of eight Baltimore area spas and wellness centers. Sports Pulse Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh spoke to reporters Wednesday for the first time since the team released longtime kicker Justin Tucker on May 5. Tucker's release came as the NFL investigated accusations of sexual misconduct against the 35-year-old kicker. He denied the allegations, calling them "simply not true." Harbaugh acknowledged releasing Tucker came at the end of "a complex decision-making process" but continued to insist it was a football decision. "I mean, you're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game," Harbaugh told reporters after Baltimore's second OTA session of the offseason. "And like we said, it's multi-layered, 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." "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 ready to go," Harbaugh added. "And that was the move that we decided to make. So in that sense, it's a football decision." Tucker spent 13 total seasons as the Ravens' top kicker after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was named an All-Pro first teamer five times during his career and wrapped up his time in Baltimore having made an NFL-record 89.103% of his field goal attempts. The Ravens are having two rookies – Tyler Loop and John Hoyland – compete to replace Tucker. Loop holds the distinction of being the first kicker ever drafted by the Ravens after they spent a sixth-round pick on the Arizona product. Meanwhile, Hoyland signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming. Harbaugh – who spent nine seasons as the special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1998 to 2006 before becoming Baltimore's coach in 2008 – noted the Ravens are planning "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," Harbaugh said. "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?"
