Content warning: This story contains references to sexual harassment and assault.
On Thursday, the Baltimore Banner published a story about six massage therapists accusing Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker being accused of inappropriate sexual behavior.
According to the story, “several therapists said Tucker’s behavior was so egregious that they ended his sessions early or refused to work on him again” and two different spas banned him from returning. The report states that these sessions occurred between 2012 and 2016. None of the women who spoke to the Banner said they took their allegations to law enforcement.
The story goes into detail according to the Banner’s reporting and conversations with several massage therapists: “Five of the women said Tucker asked them to massage his pelvic region or inner thighs while he had an erection. Then they said he repeatedly wiggled his pelvis to remove the sheets, which fully or partially exposed his genitals. Two women said Tucker brushed them with his exposed penis. Three said, when they returned to the treatment room after Tucker left, they discovered a large wet spot on the massage table, which they strongly believed to be ejaculate.”
Tucker, 35, joined the Ravens in May 2012 as an undrafted free agent. He has been with the team now for the entirety of his 13-year career and has seen success as one of the top kickers in the league. Tucker is in the NFL record books for recording the longest field goal in history at 66 yards.
An hour after the story published, Tucker released a statement on X regarding the allegations.
In the statement, Tucker calls the allegations “unequivocally false.”
Attorneys for Tucker denied the allegations to the The Banner as well, stating they are “impossible to prove.” Tucker’s attorneys went on to say, “Mr. Tucker has never behaved inappropriately during any massage therapy session, and certainly never in the manner described” by The Banner’s reporting, the lawyers said. “Any suggestion to the contrary is a fictitious and utterly baseless claim.”
A Ravens spokesman said told The Banner, “We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.” The NFL said it will “look into the matter.”
The Ravens season ended on January 19 when they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs. At this moment, it is unclear if the NFL will do anything in regards to suspending Tucker for the upcoming season.
The NFL suspended Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson 11 games and fined him $5 million after 24 women accused him in civil action after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.