ExtremeRavens Posted Tuesday at 10:05 PM Posted Tuesday at 10:05 PM INDIANAPOLIS — How the Ravens handle sexual misconduct allegations against kicker Justin Tucker remains to be seen, as general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh both said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that they will let the league’s investigation play out before making any determinations. But what has become clearer is Baltimore’s “zero-tolerance” policy. Simply put, there isn’t one. The Ravens stated that they do not have a defined, written zero-tolerance policy and added that each situation stands on its own and that actions are determined once the facts are known. In 2022, Harbaugh was asked about Deshaun Watson and the sexual misconduct allegations the Cleveland Browns quarterback was facing from more than 20 massage therapists at the time. “Basically, we’re kind of zero tolerance,” he said at the time. “You have to know the truth, you have to try to understand the circumstances, but we’ve stayed away from that particular situation — when we draft players, when we sign them as free agents.” Asked on Tuesday if he regretted saying the organization has a zero-tolerance policy, he said, “absolutely not” and also responded to how the notion of such a policy would apply to Tucker. “That’s to be determined,” he said. “That’s something we have to find out. That’s what the review is for — to gain an understanding of what we’re even talking about. You can’t take an action without understanding. You have to get the facts and understand what happened as best you can. “Then, you take the situation for what it is, but the principle is the same. How you define that principle, that term a little bit and how … maybe we’ll come out and make a definition of that at some point in time. That’s something that would be interesting to me. I think everybody understands the idea there, and let’s see where the review takes us.” The mention of the Ravens and a zero-tolerance policy traces back more than a decade. After the 2014 release of running back Ray Rice after a video emerged of him punching his then-fiancee and future wife in the face, team owner Steve Bisciotti was asked if the Ravens would have zero tolerance for domestic violence going forward. He said, “Some things are going to change. I give you my word. I think that’s pretty safe [to say].” In 2015, during the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, then-team president Dick Cass said specifically that Baltimore did not have a zero-tolerance policy, even after the release of three players that offseason following their arrests. “We have to look at each case individually,” Cass told ESPN.com then. “We look at a number of factors and make a decision based on those factors. It’s not a zero-tolerance policy at all. We’re still going to be willing to take second chances on people if they deserve it. I think it’s a mischaracterization to say it’s a zero-tolerance policy.” Then, during last year’s police investigation into Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers over an alleged domestic violence incident that was later suspended without any criminal charges, current team president Sashi Brown was asked about the team’s “zero-tolerance” policy. “No change in terms of our philosophy and our approach,” Brown said in part during the league’s owners meeting in Orlando, Florida. “Very hard circumstances, always complicated for us, for the league that investigates it, for law enforcement.” With the emergence of the allegations against Tucker, which include at least 16 massage therapists from eight Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers, The Baltimore Banner reported, questions about the so-called policy have cropped up again. “I think the biggest thing that we have to do is look at every single case differently,” DeCosta said. “There are no absolutes. “I think in this case, we’re still awaiting as much information as possible. We’re fortunate the league has come down to Baltimore. I’ve met with the league and I believe the league is meeting with other people in Baltimore as well. We’ll wait for the details of that investigation as well and make a decision based on that.” When DeCosta was asked to explain the specifics of what the Ravens’ zero-tolerance policy is, he further clarified the organization’s stance. Asked on Tuesday if he regretted saying the organization has a zero-tolerance policy, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, “absolutely not.” (Stacy Revere/Getty) “I really can’t [define it] because we look at every case differently, and the facts in every single case,” he said. “We do this for a living. We study players, we look at background, we consider all these different things. Every case is entirely different, different facts, different situations.” How the Ravens handle Tucker then will largely be determined by what the league finds, DeCosta said, and it’s a process that is expected to take several weeks. NFL investigators were in Baltimore last week interviewing massage therapists who have accused Tucker of misconduct, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. “A lot goes into that,” DeCosta said when asked if Baltimore could cut ties with the 35-year-old kicker and the team’s longest-tenured player depending on what comes out of the investigation. “The allegations are serious [and] concerning. The amount of allegations are serious and concerning. I think we are fortunate that the league is doing an investigation. “We’ll wait as patiently as we can for as much information as we can, and we’ll make our decisions based on that.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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