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Recent accusations are being addressed by Justin Tucker. Following allegations of unwanted sexual behavior by six massage therapists who treated him at four different spas and wellness centers between 2012 and 2016, the Baltimore Ravens kicker came out. Additionally, Tucker refuted the charges, which were published by The Baltimore Banner on January 30, calling them "unequivocally false."
In a statement provided to X on January 30, Tucker stated, "I have always tried to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism throughout my career as a professional athlete." "I have never before been accused of misconduct of any kind, and I have never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during a massage therapy session or during other bodywork."
The NFL player—who shares son Easton, 8, with wife Amanda Bass—went on to say that he has never "received any complaints," been "dismissed from a massage therapy or bodywork session," or been told that he 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 continued. "This is desperate tabloid fodder."
Tucker denied the anonymous massage therapists' claims of sexual misconduct, including that the 35-year-old asked them to massage his pelvic area during an erection, that he brushed them with his bare genitalia, and that he left what they thought was ejaculate on the massage table after their sessions. He also accused The Baltimore Banner of "deliberately misconstruing events as nefarious" and "relying on third-party speculation to create the false, preconceived narrative about me that they believed would generate clicks."
"As a matter of principle, I respect when individuals come forward to report misconduct of any kind," Tucker went on. "I am in favor of a procedure that permits claims to be thoroughly examined. However, for the sake of myself and my family, I cannot allow false claims to go unchallenged. I cannot be any clearer."
He added, "These allegations are false and incredibly hurtful to both me and, more importantly, my family."
Since Tucker shared his statement, The Baltimore Banner hasn't directly addressed the allegations the athlete made against them. However, the publication did provide some insight into its decision to investigate the massage therapists' accusations.
"It's about numerous women reporting very inappropriate behavior by a high-profile public figure that has never been brought to light before," Baltimore Banner reporter Justin Fenton said during a Jan. 30 appearance on the The Banner Ravens Podcast. "These are serious allegations; the allegations are numerous. It's not just a couple of people."
Also speaking out, the Baltimore Ravens told E! in a statement on January 30 that they were "aware of Baltimore Banner’s story regarding Justin Tucker as well as his response." The team also said, "We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation." The NFL echoed their sentiment in a separate statement posted to its website, stating that it would "look into the matter.""
