Latest news with #BaltimoreBanner
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Justin Tucker hopes to thread needle between claiming innocence, accepting responsibility
When the NFL announced on Thursday that former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has received a 10-game suspension under the Personal Conduct Policy, the initial reaction based on the bare-bones statement was that the league completed its investigation and its in-house legal process with a finding that Tucker had done what he was accused of doing during one or more massage-therapy sessions. It quickly became clear that the suspension didn't result from the procedures created by the NFL. It came from a negotiation between the league, the union, and Tucker. And that's what made aspects of the statement issued by Tucker's representative confusing. Especially at the outset. 'We are disappointed with the NFL's decision,' Rob Roche began in the comment that was widely distributed to reporters and for the most part disseminated with little if any context or explanation. The NFL's 'decision' wasn't to suspend Tucker 10 games. It was to propose (presumably) a longer suspension if the process played out and to offer Tucker a 10-game suspension. It was Tucker's 'decision' to accept the 10-game suspension. That fact, obscured by Roche's statement, is an important one. Tucker accepted a 10-game suspension for something he loudly insisted he didn't do. 'Justin has always strived to carry himself in a way that would make his family and community proud,' Roche added. 'He stands by his previous statements.' But does he? Who accepts a punishment for something they know they didn't do — especially when reasonable minds will be inclined to include that accepting a 10-game suspension represents an admission of responsibility? 'In order to put this difficult episode behind him and get back on the field as soon as possible, we have advised Justin to accept this resolution and close this matter,' Roche said. 'The people who know Justin best know his character and understand that while he remains fully committed to excellence as a football player, he is deeply dedicated to his most important lifetime roles as a father, husband, and friend.' It's one thing to advise Tucker to take a one-game or a two-game suspension. Ten games sends a much different message. Ten games suggests that Roche and others feared the league would emerge from the hearing before retired judge Sue L. Robinson with a much longer suspension. And so, on one hand, Tucker still says he didn't do anything. On the other hand, he has accepted a TEN-GAME SUSPENSION for something he swears he didn't do. That's a difficult needle to thread, especially if he plans to eventually sue the Baltimore Banner for defamation based on the reporting that sparked this situation in late January. For a defamation case to fly, Tucker will have to prove that the information was false (and that the Banner knew it was false or acted with reckless disregard to the truth or falsity of the information, since Tucker is a public figure). The suspension means, as a practical matter, that Tucker will also need to show that even the NFL was duped by the false allegations.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL suspends former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for 10 games
Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been suspended for 10 games in the 2025 NFL season. Tucker was found to have violated the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy. The league's decision comes after a scandalous and turbulent offseason that saw Tucker cut by the lone team he played after a serious of reports by the Baltimore Banner about his alleged misbehavior years ago with numerous massage therapists. Tucker, who was cut by Baltimore on May 5, has denied the allegations. NFL media obtained a statement from Tucker's agent: "We are disappointed with the NFL's decision," Rob Roche said. "Justin has always strived to carry himself in a way that would make his family and community proud. He stands by his previous statements. In order to put this difficult episode behind him and get back on the field as soon as possible, we have advised Justin to accept this resolution and close this matter. The people who know Justin best know his character and understand that while he remains fully committed to excellence as a football player, he is deeply dedicated to his most important lifetime roles as a father, husband, and friend." Tucker played 13 seasons with the Ravens. He is the most accurate kicker in NFL history, connecting on 89.1% of his field-goal attempts. He holds the NFL record for the longest made field goal at 66 yards. In 2024, however, he had his worst season statistically, converting a career-low 73.3% of his field-goal attempts.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker suspended by NFL after sexual misconduct investigations
Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been suspended for 10 games regardless of whether he is on a roster, the NFL announced on Thursday. The NFL said in a memo that Tucker's suspension for violations of the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy will begin on roster cutdown day. Tucker played for the Ravens for 13 days before his release on May 5, 2025. The NFL had investigated allegations of inappropriate conduct by massage therapists, reported by our media partner, The Baltimore Banner.
NBC Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Justin Tucker suspended for first 10 games of the 2025 season
The NFL has suspended free agent kicker Justin Tucker for the first 10 weeks of the 2025 regular season for violating the league's personal conduct policy, the league announced Thursday. The Ravens cut Tucker on May 5, designating him as a post-June 1 release for cap reasons. Sixteen massage therapists from eight high-end Baltimore-area spas have accused Tucker of sexual misconduct. All of the alleged misconduct reportedly occurred between 2012-16. Tucker has denied all allegations, and he has described the Baltimore Banner's reporting as 'desperate tabloid fodder.' With the length of Tucker's suspension now known, Tucker could seek to find work late this season when he's reinstated. Tucker, though, is coming off the worst season of his 13-year career. He missed 10 total kicks in 2024, with his 73.3 conversion rate on field goals ranking 31st in the NFL. Tucker, 35, was on a Hall of Fame trajectory with seven Pro Bowls and a 90.2 conversion rate on his field goal attempts in his first 12 seasons. He holds the NFL record for the longest field goal, kicking a 66-yard game-winner in 2021. Tucker signed a four-year, $22 million contract extension in August 2022, making him the league's highest-paid kicker at the time.
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announces state hiring freeze, buyouts, citing historic fiscal challenge
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a state hiring freeze, voluntary employee buyouts, and the elimination of vacant positions on Tuesday, citing a "historic fiscal challenge." The governor called the critical financial concerns the worst since the Great Depression. "And a federal administration that continues to harm Maryland's people and the economy," Moore said. What is included in the cost reductions? Gov. Moore said the cost reductions would save Maryland $121 million for the Fiscal Year 2026, which starts on July 1. According to our media partner, The Baltimore Banner, state employees found out about the hiring freeze and buys in a memo sent on Tuesday. "We have always taken a responsible, deliberate, and innovative approach to making State government work for Marylanders," Moore wrote in the statement shared with WJZ. Moore said the buyout program is still being worked on and will be determined in the next several weeks. The state says there will be facility consolidations, and it will eliminate vacant jobs based on "alignment with mission priorities." "We are committed to engaging with our public sector unions as we work through these difficult decisions," Moore said. "We are moving with care and intentionality to minimize impact on current employees and be transparent throughout the process."
