Report: Massage therapists involved in Justin Tucker allegations have long wanted to share their stories

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been one of the better players at his position over the past decade-plus. After all, he’s the NFL’s all-time leader in career field-goal percentage at 89.1 and a Super Bowl champion.

However, some disturbing allegations have surfaced that might make it hard for folks to separate the player from the person.

According to a bombshell piece from the Baltimore Banner, several massage therapists in the Baltimore area have claimed that Tucker displayed inappropriate behavior during sessions earlier in his career. The interactions allegedly took place between 2012 to 2016, with the women now getting a chance to share their stories.

“Ravens kicker Justin Tucker engaged in inappropriate behavior at four high-end spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore region, according to six massage therapists, including exposing his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments,” Julie Scharper, Brenna Smith and Justin Fenton wrote.

“Several therapists said Tucker’s behavior was so egregious that they ended his sessions early or refused to work on him again. And, at two spas, management said they banned him from returning.

“After receiving a tip on Jan. 9, The Banner began investigating and spoke to six massage therapists who recounted troubling firsthand experiences with Tucker from 2012 to 2016. The women said they had long wanted to tell their stories.”

The Baltimore Banner held conversations with the alleged victims, who shared detailed accounts of their experiences with Tucker that were published throughout the bombshell story. One woman said she’s told people her story over the years only for it to not be taken seriously.

Lawyers for Tucker have since denied any and all claims that the kicker participated in inappropriate behavior during any massage therapy session. They claim that their client was never banned from a pair of spas and deny that Tucker ever ejaculated at a spa.

Tucker himself responded to the allegations with a long-winded statement. According to the 35-year-old, the assertions in the article are “unequivocally false.” He said they’re “incredibly hurtful to both me, and more importantly, my family.”

“The allegations in The Baltimore Banner article about me are unequivocally false,” he wrote in a statement shared to X.

“Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sough to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism. 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. I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, I 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.

“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. This is desperate tabloid fodder.

“It is no surprise that the paper’s interactions with me were marked by journalistic failures at every turn. When I first learned that the newspaper was writing this article, they refused to reveal the full claims they were planning to make against me. It wasn’t until I was forced to hire the leading defamation law firm in the U.S. to write to the paper that they finally revealed what they were planning on writing. Then, when they did finally provide some of this information, the gave me next to no time to provide a response. It is clear why – they had no interest in what I (or anyone else) had to say.

“Once I reviewed the newspaper’s allegations against me, it was apparent that the newspaper was deliberately misconstruing events as nefarious (which were not) and were relying on third party speculation to create the false, preconceived narrative about me that they believed would generate clicks. The newspaper had already written this false, salacious profile well before attempting to speak to me or any of the bodywork professionals I have worked closely for the better part of the past decade. The newspaper made no effort to interview these key witnesses until prompted to do so by my defamation attorney – because they did not want to hear what they had to say about me.

“I have always made a conscious effort to be considerate and respectful in all of the interactions with the community that I love so much. It is devastating for me to learn that anyone would feel I was offensive in any way. I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session. I would never intend to offend or hurt anyone, ever. As a matter of principle, I respect when individuals come forward to report misconduct f any kind. I support a process that allows claims to be properly investigated. But, for the sake of myself and my family, I cannot allow these false claims to go unchallenged. I cannot be any clearer. These allegations are false and incredibly hurtful to both me, and more importantly, my family.”

Most of the six women that the Baltimore Banner spoke to claimed that they didn’t know each other before the outlet reached out to them, but they gave very similar accounts of Tucker’s alleged behavior.

In order to shield themselves from any potential retaliation from Ravens fans or the organization, the women requested that they be identified in the piece by only a single letter.

None of the women reportedly contacted law enforcement about their alleged encounters with Tucker. It’s also of note that one legal expert believes a civil court case against Tucker for something like intentional infliction of emotional distress could “face a very high bar for success.”

NFL fans should keep tabs for any updates regarding the allegations brought forth against Tucker.