In a move that hardly came as a surprise to most, the Baltimore Ravens released Justin Tucker on Monday.
But rather than making a statement about the several allegations of sexual misconduct against the All-Pro kicker that have come to light over the course of the past few months, the Ravens thanked Tucker for his contributions to the franchise while also emphasizing that the decision to release him was football-related.
The tone of the Ravens’ statement didn’t sit well with many members of the media, including Dan Le Batard. Taking to X on Monday afternoon, the Meadowlark Media co-founder called attention to the statement, noting the Ravens’ previous handling Ray Rice’s arrest for domestic violence in 2014.
“From the franchise that gave you the Ray Rice elevator video, we get this flailing bullshit making it sound like Justin Tucker was the victim,” Le Batard wrote. “‘We’ve released Justin Tucker’ would have sufficed. Football players don’t respect kickers. But the Ravens respect this one, who was bad last year, more than they do women.”
From the franchise that gave you the Ray Rice elevator video, we get this flailing bullshit making it sound like Justin Tucker was the victim. “We’ve released Justin Tucker“ would have sufficed. Football players don’t respect kickers. But the Ravens respect this one, who was bad… https://t.co/tBWRIEi2oV
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) May 5, 2025
While the Ravens did ultimately release Rice nearly seven months after his initial arrest, their handling of the situation wasn’t without controversy. During a press conference featuring the 3-time Pro Bowl running back and his wife following the incident, the Ravens’ official X (then-Twitter) account famously posted, “Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident,” a statement that many perceived as victim-blaming (the team later deleted the post after releasing Rice).
As for Justin Tucker, the 35-year-old kicker’s release comes just months after a report from the Baltimore Banner revealed that six massage therapists from eight different Baltimore-area spas alleged that the 7-time Pro Bowl selection sexually harassed them between 2012-16. Ten additional therapists later came out with their own accusations, which have ranged from Tucker exposing himself to making contact with them with his genitals. Tucker has maintained his innocence.
To Le Batard’s point, the Ravens’ decision to release their all-time scoring leader appears to have more to do with his field goal percentage dropping to 73.3 last season than it does the several allegations that have recently been made public. In fact, the team went out of its way to publicly portray it that way, making Le Batard’s argument that the franchise respects its ex-kicker more than it does women tough to dispute.
