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The 'Criminal Cowboys' vs. Justin Tucker And A Disturbing Truth

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mike Fisher | Last updated Jan 31, 2025 10:45 AM ET

FRISCO - They used to call them the "Criminal Cowboys.''

It very much became a "thing'' in the 1990's, when the Dallas Cowboys won three Super Bowls but were also caught - arguably in part due to their high profile - involving themselves in an assortment of unseemly and illegal actions.

What we said then: The collection of Cowboys assembled by coach Jimmy Johnson really didn't behave more poorly than the guys on the other NFL teams.

That does not mean that "The White House'' and Michael Irvin's fur coat and Erik Williams' car wreck and drugs and death and all of it didn't really happen.

We say it means that when it comes to "bad acts,'' the Cowboys, compared to their rivals, just did a less efficient job of hiding it.

Now along comes more alleged proof of that theory, as Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker - who has spent an NFL life being seen as relatively perfect and pristine - has been accused of inappropriate behavior by six massage therapists.

The allegations are serious enough that they now have the attention of the NFL.

"We first became aware of the allegations from the reporter investigating this story as they were not previously shared with the NFL," a league spokesperson said in a statement. "We take any allegation seriously and will look into the matter."

The Baltimore Banner published a piece on Thursday detailing the sexual misconduct allegations.

Tucker, a likely future Hall of Famer who is arguably the best kicker of his generation, has denied the allegations, releasing a statement on X claiming innocence and nothing that he had never before been accused of inappropriate behavior.

"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," Tucker wrote. "I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, 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."

There's a key issue here, tucked into the response of Tucker, 35, a legendary former Texas Longhorns star: It's true ... He has played in the NFL for 13 years and he has never been accused of anything like this before.

But we say now what we used to say about the "Criminal Cowboys'' supposedly being "the worst offenders in the NFL'': Perception is not necessarily reality. Accusations don't mean guilt ... and the lack of accusations don't mean innocence.