When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell learned that multiple massage therapists had accused Ravens kicker Justin Tucker of sexually inappropriate behavior, his initial reaction was surprise.

Four days after The Baltimore Banner published an investigation with accounts from six local massage therapists, during which time three more women came forward, Goodell spoke at a press conference in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

Judy Battista, a reporter for NFL.com, summarized that they were allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior that Tucker has denied, adding that no lawsuits or charges have been brought.

“What’s the NFL’s stance on what needs to happen next? What was your reaction to that story?” she asked.

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“Surprised,” Goodell said.

“But also, there’s a process for that, as you say, both civil and potentially criminal,” Goodell added. “We obviously have NFL investigations for that, too. We obviously look at that where we don’t want to interfere with the criminal side of that.”

The Banner’s initial investigation found six massage therapists across four high-end spas who said Tucker had acted inappropriately, exposing his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments. Two spas’ managers said they banned him.

Three more therapists came forward after the story was published, bringing the total to nine women across five spas. One of them accused Tucker of stroking her inner thigh during a massage.

Legal experts consulted for the first story said that there could be some criminal statutes that might have applied if the allegations were proven true — indecent exposure, and possibly battery, for any instance in which his genitals intentionally touched a therapist — but that the statute of limitations has expired. One expert said a civil court case would face a high bar for success.

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However, the NFL has punished players who were not found guilty in court. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions, even though a grand jury declined to indict him.

Under the league’s policy, players who are found to have engaged in conduct that poses a “genuine danger” to the safety and well-being of others or that “undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL” can face punishment.

During the Watson case in 2022, an investigator for the NFL described sexual assault as “unwanted sexual contact with another person.”

After The Banner’s story published, the NFL said it “will look into the matter.”

“So we will look into those issues,” Goodell said Monday. “They’re obviously serious issues. And he’s taking that seriously, as well as we.”

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Tucker has cultivated outsized fame for a kicker through his on-field success and public persona. He has the best career field goal percentage of all time and holds the record for longest field goal at 66 yards. He’s also known around Baltimore for singing opera and appearing in commercials for Royal Farms, among other companies.

In a lengthy statement posted after The Banner’s story published, Tucker called the accusations “unequivocally false.”

“In accusing me of misconduct, the article takes innocuous, or ambiguous, interactions and skews them so out of proportion they are no longer recognizable, and it presents vague insinuations as fact. This is desperate tabloid fodder,” Tucker said.

An NFL investigation could take months, which leaves Tucker’s immediate future up to the Ravens. “We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.” the team said in a statement following the initial story.

When asked about Watson in 2022, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, “Basically, we’re kind of zero tolerance.”

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