Stephen A Smith floats theory about Justin Tucker massage misconduct allegations

In the aftermath of bombshell allegations made against Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is wondering however agelong the peculiar teamer whitethorn person known these reports were coming.

On Thursday, successful a communicative successful The Baltimore Banner, Tucker was accused by six massage therapists of exposing his genitals, brushing 2 of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what the workers are alleging was ejaculate connected massage tables.

Per the Banner's reporting, Tucker had been banned from 2 spas arsenic a effect of his behavior. Some workers made the determination to extremity their sessions aboriginal and others refused to enactment connected him again.

Tucker and his lawyers person vehemently denied the accusations, with the kicker calling them 'unequivocally false' successful a connection posted aft the article's publication.

On Friday morning's occurrence of 'First Take', Smith openly wondered if this communicative and its reporting whitethorn person had an effect connected his play connected the field.

Tucker, who is 1 of the astir reliable kickers successful NFL history, had an appallingly atrocious twelvemonth by his standards successful 2024.

'In a roundabout way, I wonderment however agelong he's known that these allegations were coming down the pike,' Smith said connected Friday. 

'Because we're talking astir the astir close kicker successful NFL history. Justin Tucker has made 89.1 percent of his tract goals successful his career, the astir close successful history. 

'Yet this year, helium was astatine 73 percent, which was his worst. His worst of his career. Fourth worst successful the NFL among 31 kickers with a minimum of 20 attempts. It was the implicit worst play of his career. 

'If helium knew those allegations were coming down the pike, that mightiness explicate the inexplicable that we've been asking ourselves each twelvemonth long. Why the hellhole is this feline each of a abrupt helium can't marque kicks? What the hellhole is going on? That mightiness reply the question.'

Prior to the 2024 season, Tucker had ne'er finished an NFL run with a tract extremity completion percent beneath 82.5 percent - with six seasons hitting 90 percent of his tract goals oregon better.

He's the NFL grounds holder successful tract extremity percent (89.1) and kicked the NFL's longest ever tract extremity successful 2021 from 66 yards out. 

The allegations made against him span from his rookie play successful 2012 up until 2016. In that time, helium was the league's astir close kicker erstwhile (2016) and deed a combined 168 tract goals successful 187 attempts for an 89.8 percent completion rate.

But this season, arsenic Smith pointed out, his accuracy took a nosedive. He made lone 22 of 30 attempts for a completion percent of 73.3.

In the aftermath of the Banner's communicative being published, aggregate twists person been brought distant - including from a Denver Broncos bushed newsman who was tipped disconnected to the imaginable allegations successful advance.

Five of the six women who elaborate their experiences to the Banner claimed that the NFL prima had asked them to massages him pelvic country oregon interior thighs portion helium had an erection. 

They alleged helium would past maneuver his pelvis successful a mode that would origin the sheets to autumn away, either partially oregon afloat exposing his genitals.

Two of the therapists, who person each wished to stay anonymous done fearfulness of retaliation from the Ravens enactment oregon fans, alleged that Tucker went arsenic acold arsenic to brushwood them with his exposed penis.

On different occasions, 3 of the women claimed erstwhile they returned to the attraction country pursuing their enactment connected Tucker, they discovered 'a ample bedewed spot connected the massage table,' which they believed to beryllium ejaculate. 

Ojas, an upscale section spa concatenation connected the outskirts of Baltimore, 'immediately terminated' Tucker arsenic a lawsuit successful 2014 aft 1 of its therapists reported an incident, a spokesperson told the Banner. 

Studio 921, a now-closed halfway successful Locust Point, said that it took akin contiguous enactment to prohibition Tucker from its premises successful bid 'to guarantee a harmless situation for all.' 

A lawyer for the spa is said to person called Tucker personally to pass him helium was nary longer capable to return. 

But successful a statement, the NFL prima said: 'Throughout my vocation arsenic a nonrecreational athlete, I person ever sought to behaviour myself with the utmost professionalism.

'I person ne'er earlier been accused of misconduct of immoderate kind, and I person ne'er been accused of acting inappropriately successful beforehand of a massage therapist oregon during a massage therapy league oregon during different bodywork. 

'I person ne'er received immoderate complaints from a massage therapist, person ne'er been dismissed from a massage therapy oregon bodywork session, and person ne'er been told that I was not invited astatine immoderate spa oregon different spot of business.

'In accusing maine of misconduct, the nonfiction takes innocuous, oregon ambiguous, interactions and skews them truthful retired of proportionality they are nary longer recognizable, and it presents vague insinuations arsenic fact. This is hopeless tabloid fodder.'

He added: 'I person ever made a conscious effort to beryllium considerate and respectful successful each of the interactions with the assemblage that I emotion truthful much. It is devastating for maine to larn that anyone would consciousness I was violative successful immoderate way. 

'I support I did not enactment inappropriately astatine immoderate constituent before, during, oregon aft a nonrecreational bodywork attraction session. I would ne'er mean to offend oregon wounded anyone, ever. 

'As a substance of principle, I respect erstwhile individuals travel guardant to study misconduct of immoderate kind. I enactment a process that allows claims to beryllium decently investigated. 

'But, for the involvement of myself and my family, I cannot let mendacious claims to spell unchallenged. I cannot beryllium immoderate clearer.

'These allegations are mendacious and incredibly hurtful to some maine and, much importantly, my family.'

The Ravens person not yet made nationalist remark connected the matter.