Roger Goodell addresses Justin Tucker sexual misconduct allegations, NFL personal conduct policy

Speaking at the NFL League Meetings on Tuesday, Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the allegations against Justin Tucker. The Baltimore Ravens kicker is facing sexual misconduct allegations from multiple massage therapists over the offseason.

Goodell didn’t provide much of an update on Tucker’s situation, but said the league would present any that come down. Across eight spas, 16 massage therapists accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior, and he has denied such conduct.

The situation is ongoing. However, once the NFL has more information to share about the investigation or potential discipline, Goodell said it will do so.

“Yeah, I haven’t gotten an update but I know the review is ongoing,” Goodell said. “We won’t be giving updates but when we have something, we’ll certainly share it with everyone.”

Goodell also received a question about whether the NFL will adjust its policies about outside massage therapists. Tucker is the second high-profile player to face allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior. Deshaun Watson also dealt with such accusations while with the Houston Texans, and he later served an 11-game suspension as a result of the situation.

Goodell pointed to the NFL’s personal conduct policy as a reason the league might not seek to restrict players from seeking outside massage therapy. He said they know what the policy states and how seriously the NFL takes it.

“I think some clubs do do that, and they do make that service available in the facilities frequently,” Goodell said. “But I don’t think there’s any thought that we would restrict people from seeking a massage outside the facility or the team.

“I have not heard that discussion. I think everyone’s aware of the seriousness of our policies in this area, and they have a full understanding of it and that we’re going to uphold that.”

Ravens president Sashi Brown also received a question about Justin Tucker’s situation during the league meetings in Palm Beach. He said the franchise is in communication with the NFL office, but is not trying to do anything to risk interfering with an investigation.

“We have been in contact with the league periodically,” Brown said, via BaltimoreRavens.com’s Clifton Brown. “We try to respect and stay at an arm’s length as they conduct their investigation.

“For a lot of reasons you can imagine, you wouldn’t want to have multiple investigations going on. [That would] not be fair to anybody involved, including those who have made allegations.”