Ravens release Justin Tucker after accusations by massage therapists of inappropriate behavior

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens announced Monday they are releasing kicker Justin Tucker, months after reports that he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by massage therapists.

The Baltimore Banner has reported that over a dozen massage therapists have accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior. The NFL said it would investigate, and the Ravens drafted kicker Tyler Loop late last month. On Sunday, coach John Harbaugh suggested a decision on Tucker might come before the NFL completed its inquiry.

“Every decision we make has to be based on football,” Harbaugh said. "You’ve got a rookie kicker in here. You took him in the sixth round, early in the sixth round. He’s a talented guy. Just from a football standpoint — salary cap, all the different things that you just take into consideration — whatever we decide to do over the next few weeks will be based on football.”

Tucker has maintained he did not act inappropriately while receiving professional treatment.

“Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement issued by the club. “Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker.”

A five-time All-Pro, the 35-year-old Tucker is considered one of the best kickers in NFL history. He holds the record for the longest kick at 66 yards, and his success rate of 89.1% on field goals is the best all-time among players with at least 100 attempts. He’s played 13 seasons, all with Ravens.

However, last season was his worst as a pro. He missed a career-high eight field goal attempts, although he rebounded a bit down the stretch.

Then came the Banner's report in January that left his future in doubt.

“Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history,” DeCosta said. “His reliability, focus, drive, resilience and extraordinary talent made him one of the league's best kickers for over a decade. We are grateful for Justin's many contributions while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of their lives.”

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Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks to the media after an NFL football rookie camp, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)