NFL reportedly speaking to women accusing Justin Tucker of misconduct as investigation gets underway - Yahoo Sports

[Kari Anderson]

Justin Tucker has played for the Baltimore Ravens since 2012. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

(G Fiume via Getty Images)

(Content warning: This story contains depictions of alleged inappropriate sexual behavior.)

The NFL's investigation into Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is underway. The league has sent investigators to Baltimore, and have begun speaking to massage therapists who accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior, per multiple reports.

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Three women have already spoken with investigators representing the NFL, with two more saying that they will be interviewed in the coming weeks, per the Baltimore Banner. In total, 16 massage therapists from eight high-end spas in the Baltimore area have publicly accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior.

In a press conference ahead of the Super Bowl, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league planned to look into the "serious" allegations against Tucker. Goodell said that the league was unaware of the alleged behavior until the first report.

Although the incidents are outside of the legal statute of limitations, the NFL can choose to punish Tucker directly after the investigation is complete. In 2022, the league suspended Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson 11 games and fined him $5 million after 24 women accused him in civil action of sexual assault and misconduct during massage therapy sessions.

The first allegations against Tucker were reported by the Banner on Jan. 30, with the outlet speaking to six massage therapists who alleged that Tucker was sexually inappropriate with them during massage sessions. In the weeks since, more women have continued to come forward.

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Multiple women accused Tucker of exposing his genitals, touching the massage therapists inappropriately and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table, among other inappropriate actions. The alleged incidents all date between 2012 and 2016.

Tucker, who has played for the Ravens since 2012, is the longest-tenured kicker in the league. He released a statement on Jan. 30 after the first accusations went public, calling the allegations "unequivocally false." As more accusers have come forward, Tucker and his representatives have referred back to that statement and have not released a new one.