Let's Have An Honest Conversation About Justin Tucker And Unproven Allegations | Bobby Burack

Let's have an honest conversation about Justin Tucker and unproven allegations.

The Baltimore Ravens released the kicker this week, citing "football decisions." Of course, there was more to the decision than just football. In January, 16 female massage therapists accused Tucker of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during spa sessions from 2012 to 2016 in and around Baltimore.

Undoubtedly, football played a role in the decision to cut Tucker. He is coming off his worst season as a professional, with a field goal percentage of just 73.3%. Were that number in the high 80s, the 36-year-old would likely still be a Raven.

However, he'd also still likely be a Raven if he were not the subject of various allegations. Despite his lackluster 2024 season, Tucker is widely considered the greatest NFL kicker of all time. As Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed during his struggles, there is still no kicker a team would rather have under pressure than Justin Tucker. Well, maybe, Harrison Butker.

Call it Me Too'ed, canceled, or whatever. The allegations against Tucker cost him his job in the NFL and probably any chance of returning. And the allegations are murky, at best.

Tucker vehemently denies any wrongdoing and spoke to OutKick exclusively in February. Tucker, his wife, and his lawyer also provided documents that they believe dispute the accusations. To be frank, the documents don't prove Tucker's innocence. Unfortunately, you cannot disapprove a negative. Still, the documents do raise valid skepticism.

For one, Tucker's tax records show that he visited several of the spas in question after the alleged misbehavior occurred, including 14 additional visits to The QG salon in downtown Baltimore. 

His attorney, Joe Terry of Williams & Connolly, provided an email from his accuser, in which she told Tucker it had been "a pleasure working with you" when he canceled his membership at QG on January 5, 2016:

Why would she write that email if he had sexually harassed her? OutKick was unable to get in touch with the woman. Her former boss, Craig Martin, told The Baltimore Banner he was unaware of any complaints against Tucker. 

Moreover, Tucker's counsel provided two sworn declarations from the previous owners of the Ritz-Carlton spa, disputing the accusations levied:

Another point of contention is the salon owners of the now-closed Studio 921 and Ojas' claims that Tucker was banned over his alleged behavior, which he denied to OutKick on the record.

In February, the lawyers for the accusers, Michael Belsky and Catherine Dickinson of the SBWD law firm, told OutKick they had evidence to prove Tucker was banned from the locations. They have yet to provide any of that information.

In the case of Studio 921, the salon continued to use a promotional picture of Tucker on the website Tripadvisor a year after he was allegedly banned. The post remained on the site until the spa closed in 2023.

In actuality, all the documents prove is that there are conflicting accounts of what happened with Tucker at the salons. However, the public should not have needed documents to understand that.

Nearly three months after the initial allegation, there is still no evidence that Tucker is guilty. He is not currently facing any criminal charges or civil lawsuits.

We also want to emphasize that the number of accusers, while 16 is high, does not indicate guilt. Once lawyers are involved in a case against a high-profile figure, there are any number of reasons why other anonymous accusers would levy similar allegations.

Yet jurors in the court of public opinion have seen enough, especially in the media.

Former ESPN and HBO host Bomani Jones recently told his YouTube audience that he "believes" the allegations against Tucker are "true." While nice to know what Jones believes, he has no evidence to support his declaration. His statement was reckless.

Likewise, Dan Le Batard and Mina Kimes criticized the Ravens this week for the positive" tone" in their statement announcing Tucker's release. Specifically, Le Batard said Tucker didn't "deserve" the send-off based on the allegations. 

Maybe not. But unless Le Batard knows more than the Ravens, he has no business making that statement.

Put simply, Justin Tucker lost his job and was deemed a pervert by the media on the account of unsubstantiated, murky accusations. Consider that for just a moment.

Ultimately, if we find out that Justin Tucker did what the women say he did, OutKick will be the first outlet to report it. We will also condemn Tucker for lying to us over the phone, swearing his innocence.

But we don't know that right now. We only know what he said and what they said.  In full transparency, we'd rather live in a society in which unproven allegations are not enough to destroy one's career, reputation, and legacy. 

And yet, that's exactly what just happened to Justin Tucker.