Former Texas Longhorns Kicker Justin Tucker Suspended By NFL

The controversy surrounding former Texas Longhorns kicker Justin Tucker doesn't seem to be improving for the Austin native.

Thursday afternoon, the National Football League announced that Tucker, the most accurate placekicker in the history of the NFL, would be suspended for the first 10 games of the 2025 season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

As Tucker is currently a free agent after being released by the Baltimore Ravens earlier last month, he is still eligible to serve his suspension as a free agent and is still free to sign with any of the 32 NFL teams.

Tucker Will Be Eligible for Reinstatement

If Tucker were to sign with a team before the season kicks off in September, he would still be able to attend training camps and even play in preseason games, as his suspension will not officially start until Aug. 26.

The former Raven will be eligible for reinstatement on November 11, 2025.

The off-field controversy surrounding the kicker began in January of this year, when The Baltimore Banner released the testimonies of six massage therapists from the area that accused the kicker of inappropriate sexual behavior dating all the way back to 2012, when he first entered the league.

Tucker himself, as well as his attorneys have denied the allegations.

In February, Tucker would release a statement again denying the allegations against him but would also extend an apology to "anyone he worked with" that felt like he didn't treat them professionally or as a person.

Tucker's situation has drawn comparison to that of Deshaun Watson, who was accused by multiple massage therapists in the Houston area of sexual harassment, which caused him to miss the entire 2021 season.

If the allegations lead to as much of a decline in Tucker's career as it did for Watson's, then this will end up be one of the most depressing ends to a Hall of Fame-worthy career in professional football.

Tucker, a 13-year veteran of the NFL all with the Ravens, went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, and to say he proved the other teams wrong would be an understatement.

Since then, Tucker has clinched five first-team All-Pro selections, is the most accurate kicker in NFL history with an 89.1 percent make percentage and also holds the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, booting a 66-yarder to beat the Detroit Lions back in 2021.

Tucker also won Super Bowl XLVII with Baltimore in his rookie year, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31.