The Baltimore Ravens have been accused of prioritizing Justin Tucker over âreal victims and womenâ after their controversial statement announcing the departure of the scandalized kicker.
The 35-year-old was released by the Ravens after 16 massage therapists â from across eight spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area â made allegations of sexual misconduct against the married NFL star.
Tucker denies any wrongdoing and previously branded the accusations âshocking and heart-breakingâ. On Monday, the Ravens confirmed they had taken the âtough decisionâ to release Tucker but the team insisted it was a âfootball decisionâ.
A statement from general manager Eric DeCosta made no mention of the allegations and instead heaped praise on Tucker, a Super Bowl champion who had been with the Ravens since 2012.
Several prominent sports figures questioned his comments and now analyst Dan Le Batard has delivered a brutal verdict on the Ravensâ handling of the situation. He said he was left âoutragedâ and âp***ed offâ and claimed the team were âdefending somebody as if heâs a victimâ
He said: âTheyâre doing it to protect the precious kicker that no one respects â just because heâs worth three points at a time and just because that means more to the Ravens than real victims and women.â
The Ravens announced this week that they have released scandalized kicker Justin Tucker
A statement from general manager Eric DeCosta made no mention of the allegations
Dan Le Batard was âoutragedâ by the Ravens
âWe should respect women more than that,â Le Batard said during an explosive rant on Tuesday.
âThe Ravens (were) falling all over themselves to release Justin Tucker with a hand to their head⌠âThis hurts so much to tell youâŚâ because it feels like Justin Tucker is the victim,â he said.
âTheyâre defending somebody as if heâs a victim when he made others the victim.â
Among the allegations leveled against Tucker are that he repeatedly â and deliberately â exposed his erect genitals.
Two therapists claim he brushed them with his penis. More than once, meanwhile, the kicker is accused of leaving what appeared to be ejaculate on the massage table.
Tucker maintains his innocence but Le Batard claimed the kicker does not âdeserveâ such a statement given the allegations of âpredatory⌠creepy, disgustingâ behavior.
âNo matter what it is we have to say about alleged here â (this behavior) was predatory in nature over women who were helpless in a way thatâs very similar to Deshaun Watson.â
Over recent years, more than two dozen women have accused the Cleveland Browns quarterback of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. Watson settled 23 of 24 lawsuits back in 2022 before more allegations emerged last season.
âDeshaun wouldnât deserve a statement of release like that right now and Justin Tucker doesnât,â Le Batard said.
Le Batard compared the allegations against Tucker to claims made about Deshaun Watson
Tucker has been hit with allegations of inappropriate behavior by a total of 16 women
âWhat the Ravens did there was not leadership, it was not hard, theyâre defending somebody as if heâs a victim when he made others the victim â and theyâre doing it with a bad kicker,â he continued.
âTheyâre not even doing it with the courtesy of a player who plays actual football, respected by other football players because itâs collisions, theyâre doing it to protect the precious kicker that no one respects â just because heâs worth three points at a time and just because that means more to the Ravens than real victims and women.â
Le Batard continued: âI just wish one time, one of these football organizations would stand for something⌠would you not like to hear one team be brave enough to work around the lawyer stuff and simply say: âWe released Justin Tucker. PeriodâŚâ
âNever mind whether youâre a good or bad kicker, what youâre accused of will knock out any kicker because itâs the kicker and we should respect women more than that.â
