ExtremeRavens Posted May 6 Posted May 6 The Ravens released longtime kicker Justin Tucker on Monday, ending his tenure with the franchise after 13 seasons. The decision comes after Tucker was accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen Baltimore-area massage therapists and amid an NFL investigation into the allegations. The accusers spoke out over the offseason, detailing Tucker’s alleged inappropriate actions from 2012 to 2016. On the field, Tucker’s 2024 season was also the worst of his illustrious career, as he missed a career-high eight field goals. Here’s a timeline of how we arrived at his release on Monday: Jan. 19: Ravens’ season ends The Ravens’ 2024-25 season ended in heartbreak, as they fell to the Bills by a mere two points in the AFC divisional round. Tucker was perfect in the loss, making both field goal attempts and his lone extra point attempt. Still, the longtime kicker’s season was the worst of his professional career. He made just 73.3% of his field goals, the only time in his career he’s made fewer than 80% of his kicks in a season. Tucker also missed a pair of extra points, giving him 10 missed kicks on the season. Jan. 22: Ravens back Tucker in news conference Baltimore’s brass suggested they still had faith in Tucker after his mediocre season during the team’s end-of-season news conference. “We’ll have those discussions, but I think I have every expectation that Justin’s going to be a great kicker for us next year and moving forward,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. Coach John Harbaugh echoed those statements. It was expected that Baltimore would stick with Tucker for the immediate future in its effort to win a Super Bowl. Jan. 30: Allegations of sexual misconduct come out The Baltimore Banner detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against Tucker from local massage therapists. The allegations cited Tucker’s behavior from 2012 to 2016, during the early portion of his career with the Ravens. Tucker denied the allegations, which ranged from him exposing himself during massages to leaving ejaculate on the massage tables. “The allegations in The Baltimore Banner article about me are unequivocally false,” Tucker wrote in a statement posted to social media. Tucker has not been charged with any crimes, nor is he the subject of any civil suits related to the accusations. Feb. 2: More accusations levied against Tucker Allegations against Tucker piled up in the days after the initial report. Through Feb. 2, Tucker faced nine accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior from massage therapists. The accusations, one of which was detailed to The Baltimore Sun, matched a similar description to the first allegations. “He was erect,” an anonymous massage therapist explained to The Sun of a previous massage she gave Tucker. “He laid face down, and his hand reached up on my inner thigh.” The therapist said she ended the massage session after the alleged inappropriate touching by Tucker. Feb. 12: Massage therapists address industry stigma The Sun reported on how massage therapists were reacting to the allegations against Tucker. Several industry professionals spoke about the negative sexualized stigma sometimes associated with massage therapy. “Massage therapists are dedicated healthcare professionals who uphold high standards of ethics, training, and client care,” the American Massage Therapy Association said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. “Their role in promoting health and wellness should never be overshadowed by the misconduct of individuals who violate professional boundaries.” READER POLL: What factor most led the Ravens to cut Justin Tucker? Feb. 16: Additional allegations against Tucker The number of allegations against Tucker grew to 16, according to Baltimore Banner reports. All of the allegations were cited as occurring between 2012 and 2016 in the Baltimore area. Feb. 26: NFL investigators are in Baltimore The Baltimore Sun reported that NFL investigators were in Baltimore speaking with some of Tucker’s accusers. It’s unclear what possible penalty Tucker might face from the league for his alleged behavior. On the same day, Tucker and his wife, Amanda, were quoted in an article from Outkick about the allegations. It was the first, and only, time Amanda Tucker has publicly spoken about the allegations against her husband. “The false allegations against Justin have caused so much hurt to our family. I believe my husband, and I love and support him fully,” Amanda Tucker said in a statement to Outkick. March 30: Team president speaks Ravens president Sashi Brown discussed the allegations against Tucker at the NFL’s annual owners meetings, including sharing broad support for women who speak out against sexual misconduct. “The nature of these allegations we take very seriously,” Brown said in late March. “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.” Justin Tucker, left, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh share a moment after a game against the Browns in 2016. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff file) April 1: NFL won’t offer investigation updates At the annual league meetings, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made clear there would not be periodic updates given publicly about the investigation into Tucker. “I know the review is ongoing,” Goodell said. “We won’t be giving updates, but when we have something, we’ll certainly share something with you.” April 26: Ravens draft kicker Baltimore drafted Arizona’s Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Loop, who made a career-long 62-yard kick in 2024, was viewed as one of the top college kickers available in the draft. Loop made 18 of his 23 field goals this past season, including going 6-for-9 from beyond 50 yards. Tucker missed five of his 11 kicks from beyond 50 yards last season. May 4: Harbaugh addresses Tucker’s future After the Ravens’ rookie minicamp, Harbaugh suggested any decision related to Tucker would focus solely on his ability as a kicker. Baltimore’s coach, who had a close relationship with Tucker during the kicker’s time with the franchise, spoke about the uncertainty of the ongoing NFL investigation into Tucker. “From the standpoint of the investigation, we don’t know anything,” Harbaugh said. “So you can’t make any decisions based on that. Every decision we make has to be based on football. There’s a lot of layers to that.” He then lauded praise on his rookie kicker, Loop. “The way the ball comes off his foot is impressive,” Harbaugh said. May 5: Ravens release Tucker A day later, Baltimore announced it had released Tucker. “Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances. Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker,” DeCosta said in a statement. Baltimore didn’t mention the allegations against Tucker in its statement about the kicker’s release. The NFL’s investigation into Tucker is ongoing. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article Quote
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