Troubling precedent leads to concern over NFL's handling of Justin Tucker allegations 

The Baltimore Banner published a detailed account of Tucker's alleged inappropriate behavior at Baltimore-area massage parlors, which the Banner noted led to him being banned from two establishments.

Per The Banner, "Tucker's attorneys denied that he was banned ... claiming neither establishment informed him that he could not return," pointing to a promotional, generic e-mail Tucker received in 2018 from one business as proof.

In his response, Tucker smeared The Baltimore Banner's report, writing that their expose was "marked by journalistic failures at every turn."

He added that the Banner "was deliberately misconstruing events as nefarious (which were not) and were relying on third party speculation," to establish a "narrative ... they believed would generate clicks."

The accounts detailed in The Banner's piece are from several women who the paper noted were unfamiliar with each other or their stories before The Baltimore Banner reached out to them.

Per The Banner, "The NFL said it will 'look into the matter.'"

As troubling as the allegations are, we shouldn't expect much from the NFL, which has proven inept at handling claims of misconduct toward women over the years.

The watershed moment for the league came 11 years ago when former Ravens running back Ray Rice was suspended two games for assaulting his then-fiancée before video leaked showing the horrific nature of the attack, prompting an indefinite suspension.

Based on the precedent the NFL set with its poor response to that situation, plus a three-game suspension against quarterback Jameis Winston for "touching [an Uber driver] in an inappropriate and sexual manner without her consent," led arbiter Sue L. Robinson to issue an absurdly light six-game suspension to Deshaun Watson in 2022 after evidence showed he "engaged in sexual assault (as defined by the NFL) against" four masseuses in the league's investigation. 

In total, over 20 women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against Watson, who eventually received an 11-game suspension.

But even he kept a starting job until the Browns realized he couldn't throw a football well anymore.

The same could be true for Tucker, who might only experience repercussions because he's no longer the best player at kicking the ball through the uprights. Tucker made a career-low 73.3% of his field goals in 2024 and saw his streak of five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances snapped, which is sadly the bigger sin to the NFL front offices.

We're long past the point where we should view the league as a moral authority. If Tucker is released by the Ravens this offseason, it will have little to do with alleged off-field transgressions and everything to do with his declining on-field production. 

Based on the league's history, that's the only thing that matters.