Justin Tucker, the disgraced former kicker for the Baltimore Ravens, will be an interested observer of NFL games this weekend, looking for a team that might need his services despite the baggage that will come with signing him.
Once considered one of the best placekickers in pro football, Tucker is now officially eligible to return to the NFL after serving a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Turning 36 this month, Tucker was released by the Ravens during the offseason following accusations in January of inappropriate behavior made by several Baltimore-area massage therapists.
After a five-month investigation, the NFL announced Tucker’s suspension, effectively ending his 11-year stint with Baltimore, where he was voted to the Pro Bowl seven times. Tucker has consistently denied the allegations, stating, “It devastates me to know that anyone I have worked with would not have felt respected. To anyone who has felt otherwise, I am sorry.” However, the length of the suspension suggests there was ample evidence to warrant such a severe punishment.
Now, the question is whether any team is desperate enough to sign him and endure the backlash that might come with it.
The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) applauded Tucker’s suspension when it was first announced, telling the New York Sun that the penalty served “as a powerful reminder, no individual, regardless of status, is above the standard of professional behavior.”
Sixteen women from eight Baltimore-area spas accused Tucker of exposing himself and brushing therapists’ thighs with his fingers. “Inappropriate touch, suggestive comments or any behavior that falls outside of the scope of therapeutic care is unacceptable,” AMTA said in a statement.
While NFL players often return with little consequence after suspensions for drug use, traffic violations, or sports betting violations, allegations involving harassment of multiple women are not dismissed lightly in today’s climate.
A notable example is the Cleveland Browns, who signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a $230 million contract after he served an 11-game suspension in 2022 due to multiple sexual misconduct lawsuits. The signing sparked fan protests, and since his return, Watson has struggled, undergoing two surgeries to repair his right Achilles tendon.
Under normal circumstances, teams would be eager to bring back a kicker with Tucker’s track record. He joined the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and currently ranks as the fourth-most accurate kicker in NFL history, boasting an 89.1 percent success rate over 11 seasons.
However, Tucker struggled last season, converting just 73.3 percent of his field goals, including six of 11 from 50 yards or longer.
Despite this, several teams could use a proven placekicker. The Los Angeles Rams are in playoff contention but have struggled with consistency at the position. Joshua Karty, who started the season, made only 66.7 percent of his field goal attempts (10 of 15) over eight games before losing his job. Harrison Mevis was signed but did not play in an NFL game until recently.
The Atlanta Falcons have cycled through three kickers in the first 10 weeks of the season. They released Younghoe Koo after he missed a potential game-tying field goal in Week 1. His replacement, John Parker Romo, lasted until Week 9 before the team sought another option. Zane Gonzalez is currently handling kicking duties but, having played sporadically over the last four years, is not viewed as a long-term solution.
Green Bay Packers’ Brandon McManus has struggled as well, making just 64.7 percent of his field goal tries this year — the worst percentage among kickers with at least 10 attempts. He recently missed a 64-yard field goal on the final play of a 10-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
As the NFL regular season enters its final weeks, each win becomes crucial for playoff-contending teams. There is nothing coaches and players find more unsettling than having an inconsistent placekicker.
With so much at stake, some team is bound to take a chance on Justin Tucker and face the potential backlash that comes along with his signing.
https://www.nysun.com/article/former-ravens-kicker-eyes-return-to-nfl-after-lengthy-suspension