The Baltimore Ravens made the right decision to release veteran K Justin Tucker, but it's still not perfect
When Deshaun Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns and given a five-year, $230 million deal after allegations of sexual assault by over two dozen women, there wasn't much hope in the NFL taking action against players accused of gross misconduct. All he received was a six-game suspension for all of that. When women came forward with accusations […]
When Deshaun Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns and given a five-year, $230 million deal after allegations of sexual assault by over two dozen women, there wasn't much hope in the NFL taking action against players accused of gross misconduct.
All he received was a six-game suspension for all of that.
When women came forward with accusations against Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, it seemed like this was destined to happen again. However, the Ravens took action against him and did something that the rest of the NFL should take note of.
On Monday, the Ravens announced that they were releasing 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," executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. "Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Raven history. His reliability, focus, drive, resilience, and extraordinary talent made him one of the 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."
However, while they did the right thing in removing him from the roster, the tone of this statement is very wrong. Calling it a "football decision" makes it sound like it's only about his declining play. Specifically, last season, he had a 73.3 field goal percentage, which is the first time he has dropped below 80% in his entire NFL career.
However, this statement should also have mentioned that they were doing this because of the allegations.
The Ravens first signaled they could be ready to make this move when they drafted Arizona kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which marked the first time in franchise history that they had drafted a kicker.
However, they also pulled another questionable move during the draft when they took Marshall EDGE Mike Green, who has faced two different allegations of sexual assault in high school and college. Once again, a player is rewarded after something so horrible and serious.
Tucker has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by 16 different massage therapists. At the 2025 Scouting Combine, DeCosta admitted that the "amount of allegations are serious and concerning" and the team was planning to "wait as patiently as we can for as much information as we can" based on the league's investigation.
However, it seems Baltimore waited long enough and made their final decision.
Tucker has continued to deny any wrongdoing, calling the allegations "unequivocally false." But, when 16 women all come forward with the same story, it's too much to ignore.
Whether they flatly say it or not, for the first time, it seems an NFL team is actually taking action against a player when they are accused of sexual assault. Other teams, along with the league, should do so too.
Justin Tucker investigation leads the Baltimore Ravens to do something they have never done in franchise history
They’ve sent a strong message.
