The Ravens officially put out a statement on Monday, notifying fans, media and the likes that they are releasing kicker Justin Tucker. The organization cited “football reasons” as to why the kicker was being let go.
Yeah.. okay… sure.
On January 30, the Baltimore Banner published an investigation reporting that Tucker, one of the most coveted kickers in NFL history, had been accused of sexual misconduct toward massage therapists all over the Baltimore area. As the days went on, the numbers grew, from six to 16, with the women alleging that the misconduct happened between 2012, his rookie season, and 2016. A quick search of Tucker on X (formally known as Twitter) and you’ll find that people were actually tweeting about his alleged conduct for years, but it went unnoticed until present time. Tucker came out with a statement, pushing back on the allegations shortly thereafter.
The Ravens, however, did not.
The Ravens didn’t issue an official statement, but addressed questions about Tucker during the NFL Combine and pre-draft press conferences. Taking a “long pause” by saying things like, “that’s a really good question,” before answering or responding to the accusations with, “That’s a really tough deal.” Many considered their responses as vague, loose and “coachspeak,” a term people use about surface-level words to maintain a positive public persona.
The obvious signs that the organization was going to move on were there.
The obvious signs that the organization was going to move on were there. In addition to the NFL’s investigation, the Ravens, who have never used a draft pick on a kicker, drafted Tyler Loop in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Something that was unprecedented was now a reality, and it wasn’t a coincidence.
It took 95 days for the Ravens to make a written statement about Tucker — one that still omitted the allegations against him. Not a, “we are aware of the allegations and we take this matter seriously,” or anything of the likes a day sooner. They were silent. This is a far cry from coach John Harbaugh’s “zero tolerance” comments about Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2022, who had numerous sexual misconduct allegations against him.
When I first read the team statement, I was a bit perplexed and overall disappointed. While I understand that the allegations against Tucker are just that — allegations — the statement was not only a show of feeling sorry for Tucker, but also tone deaf to the many massage therapists who felt like their stories weren’t considered or even heard by the Ravens.
We get it. The NFL is a business. Tucker has not been formally charged with a crime and the NFL is still doing their investigation on the matter. Tucker could try and file a grievance for being let go, and the Ravens want to cover all their bases. But to go on record and completely ignore the reason we are here to begin with is disingenuous and cowardice, at minimum.
There will be people that will read this and say that I am being too emotional and that I need to separate the two. But I’m actually being as logical as anyone. When business and personal intersect and affects the bottom line of the individual, it should at minimum be acknowledged. When players are suspended for drugs or performance enhancement drugs that they took, more likely off the clock, we know about it immediately or soon after. To simply ask that an organization acknowledge something as big as SIXTEEN sexual misconduct allegations isn’t a hard ask. At what point should humanity be ignored — or overlooked — for the sake of “business”? And while the Ravens are trying to protect themselves by keeping it to business, doing so feels like disrespect to the women involved, female football fans, and anyone who may have been affected by sexual misconduct. Why was it so easy for Harbaugh to voice his opinion about someone else’s wrongdoings, but when it came down to his own players, didn’t say a word? And maybe he wanted to and was advised to say nothing. But what happened doesn’t go away because the Ravens didn’t put it in writing. It simply has people continuously asking questions like, “How come?”
Maybe… just maybe.. the Ravens don’t have a zero tolerance policy after all.