ExtremeRavens Posted Tuesday at 10:01 PM Posted Tuesday at 10:01 PM PALM BEACH, Fla. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell declined to give an update Tuesday on the league’s investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. “I haven’t gotten an update for that,” he said at the NFL’s annual league meeting. “I know the review is ongoing. We won’t be giving updates, but when we have something we’ll certainly share something with you.” The response was expected and similar to what Baltimore officials said earlier this week, with team president Sashi Brown saying Sunday that the Ravens have gotten “periodic updates” from the league. Though Brown did not elaborate he did say they are taking their lead from the NFL, which is handling the investigation. At least 16 massage therapists from Baltimore-area spas have accused Tucker, 35, of sexual misconduct, The Baltimore Banner reported earlier this year. Tucker has maintained his innocence throughout and has not been charged or faced any civil lawsuits over the alleged incidents, which were reported to have taken place between 2012 and 2016. Though it’s unclear how long the NFL’s investigation will take, a source with direct knowledge of it told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday that all of the accusers thus far have been interviewed by league investigators. Goodell also said that there have not been any discussions about perhaps requiring teams to use designated massage therapists when players seek services from providers who do not work for the organization. Along with Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, Tucker became the second player in the past few years to face sexual misconduct allegations from outside massage therapists. “I don’t think there’s any thought that we would restrict people from seeking massage outside of the facility or the team,” he said. “I think everyone’s aware of the seriousness of our policies in this area and has been able to understand the governing and I think we’re going to uphold that.” Meanwhile, Tucker remains with the Ravens and will be allowed to participate in the team’s offseason workout program when it begins later this month as well as voluntary organized team activities in May. Under the league’s personal conduct policy, however, he could be looking at a potential suspension. In 2022, Watson was initially suspended for six games before the league and the NFL Players Association agreed on an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. With Tucker potentially looking at a lengthy suspension, depending on the outcome of the league’s investigation, along with him coming off the worst season of his career in which he made just 73% of his field goals, it’s possible the Ravens could release him. Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged last month that the Ravens are looking at potentially selecting a kicker during next month’s draft and this week reiterated that point. “I think there’s a lot of good kickers in the draft, from what I’m told,” he said. “[Senior special teams coach] Randy Brown is out there. He’s been putting up the frequent flyer miles all over the country, and he texted me. It’s like tracking Santa on Christmas Eve. We’re tracking Randy on the evaluation of kickers right now. He’s doing a great job with that, so he’ll have his list. We’ll look at those guys next week when we get back. “Obviously, there are a lot of layers to that whole conversation, but it’s something we would have to do no matter what. At this point in time, you have to look. You always have to do your due diligence, so we will be prepared to do that on draft day if we feel like we need to and if the right guy is there.” In the meantime, Baltimore will continue to wait for the outcome of the NFL’s investigation. “The nature of these allegations we take very seriously,” Sashi Brown said. “These investigations do take time. “That’s never satisfying to anybody involved, probably including Justin and certainly the folks who made the allegations very public. But this is an issue generally as a society in terms of women making claims that takes a lot of courage and bravery, and frankly as a society, we haven’t gotten right for too long.” 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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