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The NFL has suspended free agent kicker Justin Tucker for the first 10 weeks of the upcoming 2025 season amid several off-field allegations related to alleged sexual misconduct, according to a news release shared by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Tucker, 35, who released by the Ravens in May after spending his entire 13-year NFL career with the franchise, has publicly denied the allegations, with his agent, Rob Roche, issuing a statement to Rapoport bashing the NFL's decision.
“We are disappointed with the NFL’s decision," Roche said. "Justin has always strived to carry himself in a way that would make his family and community proud. He stands by his previous statements. In order to put this difficult episode behind him and get back on the field as soon as possible, we have advised Justin to accept this resolution and close this matter. The people who know Justin best know his character and understand that while he remains fully committed to excellence as a football player, he is deeply dedicated to his most important lifetime roles as a father, husband, and friend.”
Tucker was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 female massage therapists at eight spas and wellness centers throughout the Baltimore area, the Baltimore Banner initially reported in January. Three tweets shared by separate accounts in 2021 both specifically appear to accuse the kicker of wrongdoing at massage parlors, the Daily Mail reported that same day. Tucker previously shared a lengthy statement denying the allegations as "unequivocally false."
Three tweets shared by separate accounts in 2021 both specifically appear to accuse the kicker of wrongdoing at massage parlors, the Daily Mail reported that same day. Tucker previously shared a lengthy statement denying the allegations as "unequivocally false."
"Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sought to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism," Tucker said. "I have never before been accuse 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. I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, have never been dismissed from a massage therapy or bodywork session, and have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business.
"In accusing me of misconduct, the article takes innocuous, or ambiguous, interactions and skews them so out of proportion they are no longer recognizable, and it presents vague insinuations as fact. This is desperate tabloid fodder."
Tucker has the highest field goal percentage in NFL history (89.1%), is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-low 73.3% field goal percentage in 2024.