The NFL will look into allegations that Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker behaved inappropriately toward massage therapists at four spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area, a league spokesperson said.
The Baltimore Banner detailed the accusations against Tucker in a lengthy report on Thursday.
The paper said it spoke to six massage therapists who recounted firsthand experiences with Tucker from 2012 to 2016. Several therapists said they ended Tucker’s sessions early or refused to work on him again, and managers from two spas said they banned him from returning.
In a statement, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said: “We first became aware of the allegations from the reporter investigating this story as they were not previously shared with the NFL.
“We take any allegation seriously and will look into the matter.”
Tucker posted a statement on social media calling the allegations about him in the Banner story “unequivocally false”.
“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,” he said.
Tucker pictured before a game against the Texans in January 2024
Tucker, 35, just finished his 13th season in the NFL, all with the Ravens.
In 2022, Tucker agreed to a four-year contract extension through the 2027 season. That deal included $17.5m guaranteed.
“We are aware of the Baltimore Banner’s story regarding Justin Tucker as well as his response,” a Ravens spokesperson said.
“We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.”
According to the Banner, a representative of the spa chain Ojas said Tucker was “immediately terminated as a client” in 2014 after “a massage therapist reported an incident that allegedly occurred during a massage therapy session with Justin Tucker”.
Owners of Studio 921, which is now closed, said through an attorney they “took immediate and decisive action to ban this individual from our business and services to ensure a safe environment for all”.
In his response, Tucker said: “I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, have never been dismissed from a massage therapy or bodywork session, and have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business.”
