NFL suspends Justin Tucker for first 10 weeks of the season for violating personal conduct policy

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL suspended former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for the first 10 weeks of the season on Thursday for violating its personal conduct policy.

The suspension takes effect on Aug. 26, which is roster cutdown day, and Tucker is eligible for reinstatement on Nov. 11. Tucker remains free to try out with and sign with a team. If he is signed, he can attend training camp and participate in preseason games. If he remains without a team, he can still serve the suspension and return in November.

The 35-year-old became a free agent after the Ravens released him last month in the aftermath of reports that he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by massage therapists. Tucker has maintained he did not act inappropriately while receiving professional treatment.

A five-time All-Pro, Tucker has played his entire 13-year career with Baltimore. He is considered one of the best kickers in NFL history, although 2024 was his worst season.

The Baltimore Banner since January has reported that more than a dozen massage therapists have accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior.

A message seeking comment was left with Tucker's publicist Thursday.

Tucker's ban was similar to the one received by Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was suspended by the NFL for the first 11 games of the 2022 season. He was accused by more than two dozen women of sexually assaulting and harassing them during massage therapy sessions in Houston, when he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him.

Watson initially was suspended for six games by a disciplinary officer. The NFL sought a minimum one-year suspension. A settlement was reached after the league appealed the initial ruling.

After the Ravens cut Tucker, coach John Harbaugh said the decision-making process was “complex” and indicated the team had been concerned about a possible suspension.

“I think if you step back and take a look at all the issues and all the ramifications, you can understand that we’ve got to get our football team ready, and we’ve got to have a kicker ready to go," Harbaugh said late last month. "That was the move that we decided to make.”

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FILE - Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) walk on the field before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, FIle)

FILE - Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker watches his kick during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dec. 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, file)

FILE - Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker misses a field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

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)