Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker called the multiple sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him “so shocking and heart-breaking” in his first public statement in almost a month.
According to the Baltimore Banner, a total of 16 massage therapists have accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior in alleged incidents between 2012 and 2016. Tucker has always vehemently denied the allegations.
In a statement sent to CNN from Tucker’s attorneys on Wednesday, Tucker once again denied the accusations and said that he “never intended to disrespect anyone.”
“I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session, nor have I ever been told I am unwelcome at any massage therapy provider,” Tucker said. “These claims are simply not true.
“Throughout the last four weeks, I have spent countless hours replaying every interaction I have had with bodywork professionals over the last thirteen years. I can assure whoever is reading this that I have never intended to disrespect anyone, cross any boundary, or make anyone feel uncomfortable in any way whatsoever.
“It devastates me to know that anyone I have worked with would not have felt respected and valued as a professional, but more importantly as a person, and to anyone who has felt otherwise, I am sorry. I want you to know I am committed to ensuring that everyone I interact with continues to feel that I respect them and care about them as a human being.
“Physical therapy and massage therapy are a large part of why I’ve been consistently healthy and available during the football season. In fact, both my wife and I continue to count so many of those professionals as our friends. I absolutely respect the massage therapy profession and more so the individuals who work as massage therapists.”
In a statement sent to CNN following Tucker’s comments Wednesday, Michael Belsky of SBWD Law Firm in Baltimore, the attorney for the accusers, said: “Facts corroborating the allegations, including incidents of timely reporting to the spa owners of the incidents by affected therapists, are documented and an integral part of our investigation.
“We do not represent the spa owners, only the therapists. Whether the owners acted appropriately and in protection of their respective employees when faced with complaints is a completely separate issue.”
Belsky’s statement alludes to several sworn declarations from spa owners where Tucker reportedly received treatments, including one which Tucker’s attorneys sent the Banner from the owner of one of two spas which the Baltimore outlet said had banned the NFL kicker due to his behavior, reportedly saying she never received complaints about him. In addition, the attorneys told the Banner that Tucker hasn’t been banned from any spas.
In the declaration sent to the Banner, the owner also reportedly said: “Based on my conversations with employees of the spa, my understanding is that Mr. Tucker had an excellent reputation among the massage therapists and other employees with whom he interacted.”
On Tuesday, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta called the allegations against the Tucker “serious” and “concerning” in a news conference.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, DeCosta’s comments were the first public statement anyone from the Ravens have made since the allegations were first reported on January 30.
“The amount of allegations are serious and concerning,” DeCosta told reporters. “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.”
In a statement posted on X last month, Tucker said: “I cannot allow false claims to go unchallenged. I cannot be any clearer. These allegations are false and incredibly hurtful to both me and, more importantly, my family.”
When the first allegations were reported in January, the NFL said it took “any allegation seriously” and that it was investigating them. When contacted by CNN after the Banner reported the seven new accusers last week, the NFL said: “The matter remains under review of the Personal Conduct Policy.”
According to three of the accusers who spoke to the Banner, the NFL has been in Baltimore recently interviewing them for further information.
DeCosta said that he has met with the league and also spoken to Tucker, but would “keep those comments to myself.”
“I think in this case we’re awaiting as much information as possible,” DeCosta said. “Again, we’re fortunate that the league has come down to Baltimore, 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.”
Later on Tuesday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he’d also spoken to Tucker about the allegations.
“The NFL is looking into it,” Harbaugh said. “They’re going to review it, try to gather all the facts, and I’m sure we’ll have an understanding of it at that time. Once there’s an understanding of it, then you have a chance to make some decisions.”
When asked about the accusations, Harbaugh added: “It’s not what you want to wake up and read. It’s not something you want to see … things that are hurtful and harmful to people, painful – there’s too many headlines like that.”
The Banner’s original report says the first six accusers did not file lawsuits or contact law enforcement and the latest report does not indicate whether the other 10 have done so.
No charges have been filed.
However, the Banner said that Belsky told the outlet that he and his law firm are “continuing to gather the facts and the chronology of events, in order to see where that leads us.”
Tucker – a 13-year veteran who is known as one of the league’s best place kickers – has previously said in his statement posted on X, in January that he had “never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during any massage therapy session… never received any complaints from a massage therapist … 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,” Tucker said in a statement posted on X last month. “This is desperate tabloid fodder.”
Tucker won Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens in 2013 and owns the highest career field goal percentage (89.1%), making him the most accurate kicker in NFL history.