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10/28 13:12 CDT Justin Tucker joins the Chiefs after a 10-game suspension last
year for violating NFL conduct policy
Justin Tucker joins the Chiefs after a 10-game suspension last year for
violating NFL conduct policy
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) --- The Kansas City Chiefs signed Justin Tucker to their
practice squad on Wednesday, giving the five-time All-Pro kicker a second
chance in the NFL after serving a 10-game suspension last year for violating
the league's personal conduct policy.
Tucker spent 13 seasons with the Ravens, earning a reputation as one of the
league's best kickers, before his tenure in Baltimore ended in controversy. The
Baltimore Banner reported in 2025 that he had been accused of sexual misconduct
by 16 massage therapists at high-end spas, accusations that Tucker called
"unequivocally false" and "tabloid fodder."
The Ravens released him that May. And while Tucker was never criminally charged
or sued in civil court, the NFL suspended him for the first 10 games of the
2025 season, which Tucker served as a free agent; he became eligible for
reinstatement last November.
"He's done his suspension, you know? Took care of that business," Chiefs coach
Andy Reid said Wednesday, "and I'll leave it at that."
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has struggled mightily the past two seasons,
missing a pair of kicks in Sunday's loss in Seattle, and the signing of Tucker
provides some competition for him --- even though Reid said Butker would kick
this Sunday in Denver.
The Chiefs also worked out Ben Sauls and Harrison Mevis before giving Tucker
the open spot on their practice squad.
"Listen, Harrison, we love. I've told you that before. He's one of my favorite
guys," Reid said, "and sometimes things don't go quite the way you want, and
you work on that. He understands the business and how it works. We had a
practice squad position open. Butker gets it. He knows that's part of the
business. He's struggling a little bit and he gets it."
Butker has missed 10 field-goal attempts and five PATs since the start of last
season, the most in the league, and they've come at quite a cost. He's the
third-highest paid kicker in the league, carrying the sixth-highest base salary
on the Kansas City roster.
"Obviously he didn't do very good this past game. I'm stating the obvious
there," Reid said, "and he's been up and down. This happens. And you know,
anybody else in this business, myself included, you have to pick it up and do
better. He gets that."
Tucker, who turns 37 next month, hadn't been much better before he was released
by Baltimore. He missed 10 kicks during the 2024 season, by far the most during
a career that has included seven Pro Bowl selections.
The Chiefs have proven a willingness to give players --- and kickers, for that
matter --- a second chance.
Last year, they brought back running back Kareem Hunt, whom the Chiefs had
released years earlier after security footage showed him kicking a woman in a
hotel hallway. And they signed current punter Matt Araiza, who was among
multiple people accused of raping a woman at San Diego State; Araiza claimed
the encounters with the woman were consensual, the district attorney declined
to file criminal charges, he later filed a defamation suit and pending cases
were dropped with neither side admitting wrongdoing.
Asked what goes into making such decisions, Reid replied: "I try to do homework
on it. See exactly what's taken place. (Tucker) served his suspension. Spent
time involved in it. That's how I evaluate it."
Tucker also has had some run-ins with his new teammates, including quarterback
Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
Two years ago, before the AFC championship game in Baltimore, the kicker was
warming up in an area where Mahomes typically does his pregame work. The
quarterback asked Tucker to move his gear, he responded by moving it ever-so
slightly and Kelce promptly kicked his footballs and helmet away, leading to an
exchange of words between them.
The Chiefs won the game 17-10, sending them back to the Super Bowl, where they
beat San Francisco for their second straight title.
"It wasn't like we had any beef that moment," Mahomes said Wednesday. "At the
end of the day, we're just playing a game. You want to compete and you want to
win. But it's not like we had a longstanding beef that carries on. We won that
game."
Butker also has courted controversy during his time in Kansas City, though it's
been political rather than legal.
Several years ago, he made what he called a "very intentional" foray into
politics when he delivered a polarizing commencement address at Benedictine
College in which Butker said, among other things, that most of the women
receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having
children than beginning a professional career.
Butker later formed a political action committee for the 2024 election to
encourage Christians to vote for "traditional values."
NOTES: Chiefs RT Jaylon Moore (concussion) and WR Rashee Rice (hamstring)
returned to practice Wednesday. ... DT Omarr Norman-Lott (torn ACL) was
designated to return from the physically unable-to-perform list, opening a
21-day practice window. At that point, the Chiefs must put him on the active
roster or place him on injured reserve.
___
See AP's full NFL coverage here
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