Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh addressed the sexual misconduct allegations against kicker Justin Tucker, calling it “a really tough deal” in his first public comments since the scandal broke.
Speaking at the combine on Tuesday, Harbaugh expressed his disappointment, stating, “It’s not what you want to wake up and read. You don’t want to see these things. Too many headlines like that just leave you sad and frustrated. You never want anyone to feel less than great in a work environment.”
He added, “The NFL is looking into it, gathering facts, and once there’s clarity, decisions can be made. That’s where we are right now.”
“We’ve all got questions,” Harbaugh continued. “But nobody knows exactly what happened. So let’s see where the review takes us.”
The coach revealed that he spoke with Tucker about a week and a half after The Baltimore Banner’s initial report came out, describing it as a “conversation about it.” Harbaugh also mentioned that the Ravens were already evaluating kickers this offseason, with or without the allegations against the 35-year-old Tucker.
“We’re looking at kickers. I mean, we’re looking at a lot of positions,” Harbaugh explained. “But the kicker position would have been a priority no matter what because, you know, Justin’s our kicker. We love him. I always expected him to keep going forever. But nobody goes forever.”
He also stated that he doesn’t regret using the phrase “zero tolerance” when addressing the team’s stance on after-hours misconduct.
In late January, six massage therapists came forward with allegations of “troubling” sexual behavior by Tucker during massage sessions from 2012 to 2016. Since then, 10 more therapists have come forward with similar accusations. Tucker has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta called the allegations against Tucker “serious” and “concerning.” He emphasized that the team will “wait as patiently as we can for as much information as we can, and we will make our decisions based on that.” These remarks marked DeCosta’s first public comments, following the team’s initial statement.
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