When it comes to excuses, the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 reasoning for cutting Justin Tucker falls pretty far down the list.<\/p>\n
Calling the release of the most accurate kicker in NFL history one of the team\u2019s \u201cfootball decisions\u201d<\/a> lands somewhere between \u201cmy cat got sick\u201d and \u201cI lost my keys.\u201d It\u2019s just lame.<\/p>\n Maybe the Ravens think if they repeat their excuse enough, their fans will buy it. They already pay for tickets and merchandise in droves \u2014 why wouldn\u2019t they buy a company line that everyone knows is a cheap cover story for cutting a man accused by 16 massage therapists of inappropriate behavior<\/a>?<\/p>\n Then again, maybe the Ravens just take us all for fools.<\/p>\n The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.<\/a><\/p>\n If it were up to this franchise, now troubled by decades with a penchant for mishandling player misconduct, we\u2019d all turn the page on Tucker. By saying they were releasing him on Monday, the Ravens did the right thing \u2014 but used a sham justification that conveniently sidesteps The Banner\u2019s findings on Tucker, an ongoing NFL investigation<\/a> and their own role in not figuring out Tucker\u2019s behavior for years.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances,\u201d DeCosta said in a statement. \u201cConsidering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker.\u201d<\/p>\n Was the roster the only thing the Ravens considered? Really? Either sixth-round draft pick Tyler Loop really blew the coaching staff\u2019s socks off at rookie OTAs<\/a> to convince them he should succeed the best kicker in NFL history, or you can\u2019t really trust the assessment coach John Harbaugh made that the Ravens would make any decision about Tucker \u201cbased on football.\u201d<\/p>\n At least Tuckers\u2019 accusers now know how much their word means to this football team, which continues to disappoint. After at least acknowledging at the NFL scouting combine that the allegations against Tucker were \u201cserious\u201d and \u201cconcerning,\u201d<\/a> a few months later they weren\u2019t mentioned at all in DeCosta\u2019s statement. Yet the team made time to praise Tucker\u2019s \u201creliability, focus, drive, resilience and extraordinary talent.\u201d<\/p>\n Sure, let\u2019s compliment the guy who could face discipline from the league for misconduct as we kick him out the door. As ESPN\u2019s Mina Kimes said of the Ravens\u2019 lauditory statement: \u201cWas this tone necessary?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.<\/a><\/p>\n One therapist who spoke to The Banner said of the team\u2019s resistance to acknowledging Tucker\u2019s accusers: \u201cApparently they [the Ravens] are cowards as well.\u201d<\/p>\n They certainly seem afraid of telling the truth. They were forced to do so about their \u201czero tolerance policy\u201d in February \u2014 that they didn\u2019t actually have one<\/a>. And on the front office\u2019s latest questionable decision, drafting Marshall\u2019s Mike Green, they haven\u2019t been exactly straightforward, either.<\/a><\/p>\n As much as the Ravens may desperately try to compartmentalize every roster move they make, their handling of Tucker must color how we view their selection of Green. The 21-year-old is a first-round talent who had to transfer schools because of a sexual assault allegation, and several reports have confirmed that other NFL teams weren\u2019t comfortable with his explanations for his troubled history.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not putting Green on trial here. It\u2019s the Ravens who are asking for trust they haven\u2019t earned.<\/p>\n It defies common sense that somehow the Ravens are an organization that missed a brewing scandal around Tucker for a decade \u2014 yet have also done such a thorough job vetting Green that they are above reproach or deeper questioning because he spent some time at the Castle before he was drafted.<\/a><\/p>\n The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe understand the severity of what these allegations were, of course,\u201d DeCosta said, \u201cbut doing our due diligence, we are comfortable with Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not good enough. What about the comfort of this fan base? If the truth is on the Ravens\u2019 side, they should be willing to lay out each and every part of it.<\/p>\n What was the nature of Green\u2019s first accusation? What about the second? What explanation did he offer as to how he was accused twice? Which of Green\u2019s explanations were investigated, and did the team talk to accusers or just Green\u2019s enthusiastically supportive coaches?<\/a> Can the Ravens explain why they were comfortable with Green when other NFL teams were not?<\/p>\n Until the Ravens face these difficult questions head-on, it\u2019s impossible to take their credibility at face value. Given how squirrelly they\u2019ve been, it\u2019s worth wondering if it\u2019s a coincidence that they announced Tucker\u2019s release with weeks before the team\u2019s next media availability (my request to interview DeCosta and Harbaugh received no answer.) <\/p>\n The Ravens act as if one critical misjudgment shouldn\u2019t impact their ability to be taken seriously when taking on another risk. But among all the things the Ravens are charged with judging, there is ample reason to think their character evaluation process is critically flawed.<\/p>\n