MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
In one aspect, the Baltimore Ravens are fortunate placekicker Justin Tucker had such a bad season last year because it means his release from the team on Monday being solely a “football decision” stands as legitimate.
Then there is the other thing surrounding Justin Tucker, which really isn’t the other thing at all, but now, since he is no longer a Raven, is the thing the team will not have to address once the NFL investigation into the allegations against Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior at several Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers is complete.
“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,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement.
“Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus, drive, resilience and extraordinary talent made him one of the league’s 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.”
Clearly the statement made no mention of the 16 allegations against Tucker, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and that, along with the plaudits DeCosta heaped upon the team’s longest-tenured player, were not received well in many circles on Tuesday.
And now that Tucker is gone, the Ravens will never have to address it.
Don’t misunderstand, the Ravens have never been blind to the allegations and the number of them. After they cut ties with Ray Rice in 2014 and investigated domestic accusations against Jimmy Smith in 2018 and Zay Flowers last year, the Ravens operate under owner Steve Bisciotti’s “zero tolerance” policy, so when the allegations against Tucker were made, and then even more followed, it did not bode well for his future in Baltimore.
Then there is Mike Green, the prized edge rusher from Marshall, who led the nation in sacks, but who dropped from being sure-fire first round down to second where the Ravens took him with the 59th pick to try to fill one of their most pressing needs.
Green fell in the draft due to two sexual assault allegations he faced, one in high school and another one in college when he was at Virginia, which prompted his transfer to Marshall.
Green has denied both charges, has never been charged with or questioned about either one, and talked openly about it to all teams during the draft process. Despite their concerns, the Ravens drafted Green after they investigated the matter and said they felt comfortable with the decision.
None of which, of course, benefited Tucker, for when the Ravens drafted Arizona kicker Tyler Loop four rounds after drafting Green, Tucker’s time in Baltimore was pretty much taps city. Kickers are rarely drafted in the NFL, Tucker included, so when a team does draft one, it is usually with the intent of making him the starter.
And let’s not be naive; though the NFL investigation has not been completed so far as we know, the
Ravens have likely received word from the league that Tucker is facing a suspension.
DeCosta’s words in his statement, though, were sincere, not just because Tucker has been one of the best kickers in NFL history, but because he is well-liked and had become a face for the team. He participated in holiday community events, served Thanksgiving meals to the needy, sang opera to help Baltimore area Catholic churches, and likely appeared in more commercials than any player in franchise history.
An undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2012, Tucker is a five-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowl selection and currently the most accurate kicker in NFL history (89.1%), and set the NFL record for the longest field goal with a 66-yarder as time expired to lift the Ravens over the Detroit Lions in 2021.
But last year, and this is not where the Ravens were fortunate that Tucker had such a bad year, he missed five kicks inside the 50 and two extra points. Kicks he had rarely missed before.
He missed two kicks inside of 50 in Pittsburgh in a game the Ravens lost to the Steelers by two points. Had the Ravens won one more game, they would have been the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and would have played the Buffalo Bills in Baltimore rather than in Buffalo. And don’t forget that for much of the second half of the season, the whispers grew louder that the Ravens would sign a veteran kicker to challenge Tucker by season’s end, which, as it turned out, they did not do.
On top of that, Tucker was set to enter the second year of a four-year, $24 million contract extension that he signed in August 2022, so there were plenty of legitimate “football” reasons to cut ties with the 35-year-old Justin Tucker.
But they are likely not the reasons they did.
Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT