The silence from the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL on Justin Tucker is, sadly, not at all surprising.
It’s now 16 female massage therapists who’ve said the star kicker was sexually inappropriate with them during massages, and the details reported by The Baltimore Banner are disturbingly similar. Tucker intentionally exposed himself during massages booked outside the team, the women said. In some cases, therapists said he brushed his erect penis against them. At least four therapists told the Banner they found what appeared to be ejaculate on the sheet after Tucker left.
Several of the women provided corroboration of their experiences, and two spas told the Banner they had banned Tucker because of his inappropriate behavior.
Yet all the Ravens will say is that they’re “aware” of the allegations against Tucker, long one of their most high-profile players, as well as his denial of them. The NFL says it is reviewing the matter under its personal conduct policy, with no timeline for a decision.
“We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation,” the Ravens said.
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How many more women need to come forward before the Ravens or the NFL take action? 15? 30? 100? What happened to that “zero tolerance” policy coach John Harbaugh so proudly noted when he was asked about the last NFL player to sexually abuse massage therapists?
“I respect what (owner) Steve Bisciotti has created here … really almost 10 years ago. We’re kind of zero tolerance,” Harbaugh said in August 2022 in response to Deshaun Watson’s suspension.
“You’ve got to know the truth, you’ve got to try to understand the circumstances,” Harbaugh added. “But we’ve stayed away from that particular situation. When we draft players, when we sign them as free agents. We just haven’t dealt with it. That’s Steve’s decision, and I’m glad we have that policy.”
Baltimore has that policy because of the abysmal way it handled Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee, Janay, in a casino elevator, knocking her unconscious, an incident that laid bare the disdain the NFL has for women.
Don’t let the league’s cheerleading for girls playing flag football or its Super Bowl ads starring self-confident, empowered young women fool you. Don’t be duped by the pink backpacks and Raven-themed thongs and bralettes Baltimore is pushing at its team store.
More than 10 years after Ray Rice, any ‘changes’ the NFL has implemented is lip service at best. The NFL still sees women solely as commodities, their only worth as consumers and to pump up its participation numbers. The Ravens still don’t see abuse of women as a disqualifier.
If a player, especially one as popular as Tucker, harms women, oh well.
Tucker insists he “did not act inappropriately,” and characterized the Banner’s reporting as “desperate, tabloid fodder.” But just as in Watson’s case, it is the sheer volume of women that is so damning. This is not one or two women complaining (though even that would be too many). It is 16, most of whom did not know each other or work together.
Also, just as in Watson’s case, it has to be asked why a professional athlete, whose body is his livelihood, would go to so many different massage therapists without knowing if they’re good or bad, competent or inept. Especially when every NFL team employs or contracts their own.
It does not matter that these incidents allegedly occurred years ago, between Tucker’s rookie season in 2012 and 2016, or that Tucker has built a seemingly pristine reputation in his 13 years in Baltimore. Degrading a woman is wrong no matter when it happens or who’s doing it, and the lack of urgency from the Ravens and the NFL is telling.
The NFL has proven it can move quickly when it feels a player has tarnished its precious shield. The league is also notorious for its lack of loyalty when players get old and less productive. Yet almost three weeks after the Banner published its first story, the Ravens are still holding on to a 35-year-old kicker who just had the worst season of his career.
Tucker might be a future Hall of Fame kicker. He might also be a sexual predator. That the NFL and the Ravens can’t recognize which of those matters more is not a surprise. They’ve never cared about women and they never will.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
