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Ravens release kicker Justin Tucker after massage therapist allgations<\/p>\n
Ravens release kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 different employees of eight Baltimore area spas and wellness centers.<\/p>\n
Sports Pulse<\/p>\n
Winners and losers. It can be an informative, analytical and even fun framing device whenever notable NFL (or fill-in-the-blank sport) news occurs. Whether it\u2019s the aftermath of a big game, trade, draft, you name it \u2013 there are typically two sides of a coin to examine.<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t the case Thursday, when the league issued its 10-week suspension to former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker<\/a>, whose banishment will take effect Aug. 26 \u2013 whether or not the free agent is employed by then.<\/p>\n And, yeah, some rookie you’ve never heard of is going to benefit from the fact that Baltimore had already cut ties with Tucker, creating an open job to compete for in training camp. But there are no winners from this sad saga. There are most definitely losers, though, and they are as follows:<\/p>\n Justin Tucker<\/p>\n Duh. On the one hand, he ought to be grateful the NFL\u2019s announcement was, per usual, devoid of details regarding his violation of the league\u2019s personal conduct policy. And unlike the penalty the league levied against Cleveland Browns<\/a> quarterback Deshaun Watson three years ago, in what can only be described as similar circumstances \u2212 at the time, 24 women had filed civil suits against him involving allegations of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions \u2212 Tucker has not been fined nor ordered to undergo treatment or an evaluation. Watson was and had to pay $5 million.<\/p>\n But Tucker is radioactive. Last season was decidedly the worst of his 13-year career. Still the most accurate kicker in NFL history, he converted a career-low 73.3% of his field-goal attempts. It gave the Ravens a convenient excuse to cut a 35-year-old who was at the top of his positional compensation scale. And in light of the sexual misconduct allegations made by Baltimore-area massage therapists for incidents that reportedly occurred between 2012 and 2016, no team was likely to touch Tucker before the league completed its investigation into the matter \u2013 and there will undoubtedly be less consideration for him now given he won\u2019t be eligible to return until Nov. 11.<\/p>\n But this runs deeper. Again, the NFL didn\u2019t offer details as to why it had suspended Tucker, though The Baltimore Banner <\/a>reported them in spades<\/a>. All the while, Tucker, a practicing Catholic, has denied them, characterizing the website\u2019s reporting as \u201cunequivocally false\u201d \u2013 yet also won\u2019t appeal his suspension. Take that for what it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n At this point, it seems unlikely Tucker plays in the NFL again. And what appears to be the final chapter of his once enviable career has probably delivered a fatal broadside to his Hall of Fame candidacy given the high bar his position already demanded.<\/p>\n In a statement issued last month and attributed to executive vice president and GM Eric DeCosta, he said, \u201cSometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances,\u201d when explaining why the Ravens released Tucker<\/a> with three years left on his four-year, $22 million extension.<\/p>\n Anyone paying more than a scintilla of attention knew the move involved far more calculus than that, but that\u2019s how the Ravens chose to frame it.<\/p>\n They missed the mark.<\/p>\n This is the same organization that was spotlit by the Ray Rice situation in 2014, when the team’s top running back was seen on video assaulting his fianc\u00e9e in an elevator. He was eventually released and never played another NFL snap after being indefinitely suspended.<\/p>\n Following the issuance of Watson\u2019s penalty in 2022, head coach John Harbaugh said of the Ravens\u2019 stance about player misconduct, \u201cBasically,\u00a0we\u2019re kind of zero tolerance. You have to know the truth, you have to try to understand the circumstances, but we\u2019ve stayed away from that particular situation \u2212 when we draft players, when we sign them as free agents.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad that we have that policy.\u201d<\/p>\n (For what it\u2019s worth, the Ravens just spent a second-round pick on linebacker Mike Green, who\u2019s been accused of sexual assault multiple times in the past.)<\/p>\n