Ex-Ravens kicker Justin Tucker lands workout with Saints after sexual misconduct allegations, suspension

(Content warning: This story contains depictions of alleged inappropriate sexual behavior.)

Justin Tucker may be close to a return to the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints invited Tucker in for a workout on Monday, marking his first workout with a team since the veteran kicker served his 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

“He’s been one of their leaders for an extended period of time on a very successful team,” Saints head coach Kellen Moore said of Tucker, via New Orleans Football's Nick Underhill. “Obviously, there’s been some stuff that’s been unfortunate. He’s gone through an experience and I think it’s about collecting what that experience was.”

The “unfortunate” stuff Moore referred came after a months-long investigation into sexual assault and misconduct allegations regarding Tucker when he was with the Baltimore Ravens. More than a dozen massage therapists in the Baltimore area accused Tucker of misconduct, saying he acted inappropriately during sessions with them.

Among other things, Tucker was accused of exposing himself to massage therapists, repeatedly exposing his genitals, touching the women’s thighs and having an erection during the massage. Multiple women said he left what appeared to be ejaculate on the massage table after his session with them, too.

At least 16 massage therapists went public with allegations against Tucker following an investigation with the Baltimore Banner. The NFL then suspended Tucker for the first 10 weeks of this season in June for violating its personal conduct policy. He became eligible to return to the field earlier this month.

Tucker has denied the allegations against him repeatedly, and said that he has not acted "inappropriately at any point before, during or after a professional bodywork treatment session.”

Tucker was released by the Ravens in May. He has spent his entire career with the franchise, who he joined in 2012, and was often considered one of the best and most reliable kickers in NFL history. He holds a career accuracy rating of 89.1%, which is currently No. 4 on the NFL’s all-time list. Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker currently leads the way with a 93.5% accuracy rating.

The Saints hold a 2-9 record entering Sunday’s game with the Miami Dolphins. New Orleans kicker Blake Grupe missed two kicks on Sunday in their 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He’s now missed eight kicks this season and holds a 69.2% accuracy rating, which is the worst in the league among kickers with at least 20 attempts.