Baltimore Ravens took the ‘incredibly difficult’ decision to release Super Bowl winner Justin Tucker, who was accused of s**ual misconduct

Longtime Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been released by the team in the aftermath of a s**ual harassment allegations, and they drafted his replacement.

Baltimore Ravens took the ‘incredibly difficult’ decision to release Super Bowl winner Justin Tucker, who was accused of s**ual misconduct

Justin Tucker (Image via IMAGO)

Justin Tucker’s time as the Baltimore Ravens’ kicker ended on Monday (May 5). The AFC North franchise released Tucker after 13 seasons.

General Manager Eric DeCosta announced Tucker’s release on X with a lengthy post.

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. [He] created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus, drive, resilience, and extraordinary talent made him one of the league’s best kickers for over a decade. We are grateful for Justin’s many contributions while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of their lives.

Eric DeCosta’s statement read

Tucker was still under contract for two more years. He had signed a four-year, $24 million extension with $17.5 million guaranteed money in 2022. Tucker is now a free agent.

Why did the Baltimore Ravens release Justin Tucker?

DeCosta didn’t mention any specific reason to release Tucker. But keyboard warriors quickly pointed out Tucker’s checkered past as a prime reason for his untimely expulsion.

Baltimore Ravens took the 'incredibly difficult' decision to release Super Bowl winner Justin Tucker, who was accused of sexual misconduct
(#9) Justin Tucker (Image via IMAGO)

The 35-year-old went through a whirlwind of emotions last year when several women brought allegations against him. All of them had one thing in common. They, at some point, worked at Baltimore massage parlors.

Tucker frequented these massage joints from 2012 to 2016. According to the Baltimore Banner, some of the women complained that the Super Bowl-winning kicker exposed “his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments.”

The initial report included complaints from six women. Five of them disclosed that Tucker “repeatedly wiggled his pelvis to remove the sheets, which fully or partially exposed his genitals.”

After the initial report surfaced, seven more women lodged s**ual harassment complaints against the five-time All-Pro athlete.

The Ravens stated that they were looking into the matter, but remained silent about Tucker’s future with the team. Tucker, meanwhile, defended himself on social media.

Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sought to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism. I [Justin Tucker] have never before been accused of misconduct of any kind, and I have never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during a massage therapy session or during other bodywork, and I have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business.

Justin Tucker tweeted

The league officially didn’t comment, but Commissioner Roger Goodell said that they were keeping an eye on the matter.

The Ravens drafted a new kicker

NFL is among the toughest leagues for athletes to be part of. Some don’t make it, while others bow out after a few seasons. The average tenure of a kicker in the NFL is 4.87 years, whereas Tucker started for the Ravens for more than a decade.

His field goal conversion rate never went below the 82% mark, and he consistently hit above 90% in most years. However, that changed in 2024. He only converted 17 out of 22 field goal tries, and the FG ratio took a nosedive to 73%.

Some analysts speculate that the weight of the allegations derailed his season, while others argue he was past his prime.

The Ravens had to act. For the first time in franchise history, they drafted a kicker—Tyler Loop (186th overall), formerly of the Arizona State Sun Devils. Loop made his name as a crunch-time finisher. Banner’s Jonas Shaffer reported Loop made 85.7% of his field goal attempts while wearing the Sun Devils’ jersey.

Loop is likely to take over as the starting kicker for the Ravens after they released Tucker.

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