Explained: How Justin Tucker's 10 games suspension was quietly negotiated behind the scenes without legal action
Justin Tucker suspended for 10 games (Imagn Images)
Free agent kicker Justin Tucker has been suspended for the first 10 games of the 2025
NFL
regular season after violating the league's personal conduct policy, according to an official announcement made Thursday.
The decision comes following an extensive period of controversy involving serious allegations against the former Baltimore Ravens star.
Justin Tucker's shocking 10-game suspension wasn't court-ordered — it came through a surprising negotiation twist
The NFL's ruling was not the result of a formal hearing or a legal verdict but stemmed from behind-the-scenes negotiations between the league, the NFL Players Association, and Tucker's legal team. According to The Washington Post's Mark Maske, 'the case is over, the suspension is final, and Tucker will miss 10 games without pay to begin the 2025 season.'
Tucker, 35, has strongly denied the sexual misconduct allegations made by sixteen massage therapists from eight upscale Baltimore-area spas. These incidents are said to have taken place between 2012 and 2016. In response to The Baltimore Banner's reporting, Tucker criticized the outlet's coverage as 'desperate tabloid fodder.'
Yet, despite his denial of any wrongdoing, Tucker chose not to appeal the suspension.
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While this might seem contradictory to his public stance, some believe it was a strategic move. With his name no longer tied up in a pending investigation, the door is now open—at least in theory—for him to be signed by a team once the suspension is served.
His decision to settle might also have been a calculated risk. Had the matter gone before disciplinary officer Judge Sue L. Robinson, a full-season suspension was reportedly a possibility.
Accepting 10 games could have been the lesser of two evils.
Still, Tucker's on-field value isn't what it once was. In 2024, he experienced the steepest decline of his 13-year career, missing 10 kicks and finishing with a 73.3% field goal conversion rate—ranking 31st in the league. It's a stark contrast from the player who once set the NFL record with a 66-yard game-winning field goal in 2021 and earned seven Pro Bowl selections over 12 stellar seasons.
In August 2022, Tucker signed a four-year, $22 million extension that made him the NFL's highest-paid kicker at the time. But by May 2025, he had been released by the Ravens in a post-June 1 cap-saving move.
With the suspension now finalized and his case officially closed, the spotlight shifts to whether any team will be willing to take a chance on a kicker whose legacy is now overshadowed by both performance decline and off-field controversy.
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