After nearly a month of silence, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta called allegations of sexual misconduct against seven-time Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker “serious and concerning.”
What happens next remains to be seen as the NFL continues an investigation into reports from The Baltimore Banner that 16 massage therapists accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior from 2012-16. Speaking with reporters at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, DeCosta confirmed he has met with league investigators as well as Tucker, but he declined to discuss specifics of his dialogue with the Ravens’ longest-tenured player.
“The allegations are serious, concerning. The amount of allegations are serious and concerning,” DeCosta said. “I think we’re fortunate that the league is doing an investigation. We’ll wait as patiently as we can for as much information as we can. We’ll make our decisions based on that.”
When the initial Banner report was released on Jan. 30, the Ravens released a statement saying they “take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.” The first Banner story consisted of accusations from six massage therapists with subsequent reporting bringing the total number of accusers to 16 from eight Baltimore-area spas.
With the alleged behavior going back to Tucker’s rookie season well over a decade ago, many have wondered when the organization first heard rumors or concerns about his conduct during massage sessions. Tucker stated on Jan. 30 that the allegations were “unequivocally false.”
“We were aware that a local media outlet was getting prepared to do a story on Justin Tucker,” said DeCosta, referencing the Banner’s reporting. “That was the first time that we became aware of those allegations or the potential allegations that might result.”
DeCosta was also asked about the organization’s claim to have a “zero-tolerance” policy, which stems from the Ray Rice saga in 2014 and has been championed by members of the Ravens brass over the years despite its vague definition.
“The biggest thing that we have to do first of all is look at every single case differently. There are no absolutes,” DeCosta said. “I think in this case, we’re still awaiting as much information as possible. Again, we’re fortunate that the league has come down to Baltimore. I met with the league; I believe the league is meeting with other people in Baltimore as well. We’ll wait for the details of that investigation, and we’ll make a decision based on that.”
As for the on-field ramifications of Tucker’s unclear future with the team, DeCosta confirmed the Ravens are doing their homework evaluating kickers in the upcoming draft.
Tucker, 35, is coming off the worst season of his career after making just 22 of 30 field goals, but he finished the 2024 campaign on a high note, making his final five field goal tries and 23 extra points over the final six games counting the postseason. He remains the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
“Like every position, we’re going to evaluate, rank the [draft prospect] board. We’ve been doing that for the last 29 years,” DeCosta said. “We’re blessed to have a really good kickers coach in Randy Brown, who does a phenomenal job evaluating punters and kickers and long snappers for us every single season. We’ll meet with Randy throughout the process over the coming weeks. He’ll travel all over the country looking at these guys, and we’ll build the best board that we can.”
