7 more massage therapists accuse NFL kicker Justin Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior, bringing total to 16, per report - CNN

[Ben Morse]

CNN —

Seven more massage therapists have accused Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior, bringing the total number of accusers to 16, according to The Baltimore Banner.

The Banner reports that all 16 women said the alleged incidents happened between 2012 and 2016 and that two spas banned him from returning. Tucker’s attorneys told the Banner that Tucker has not been banned from any spas. Additionally, the NFL kicker’s attorneys provided the Banner with a sworn declaration from the owner of one of the spas in question, reportedly saying she never received complaints about him.

In the declaration, the owner also reportedly said, “Based on my conversations with employees of the spa, my understanding is that Mr. Tucker had an excellent reputation among the massage therapists and other employees with whom he interacted.”

The Banner’s original report says the first six accusers did not file lawsuits or contact law enforcement and the latest report does not indicate whether the other 10 have done so. However, the Banner’s newest reporting said that most of the accusers have retained the services of Michael Belsky and Catherine Dickinson of the SBWD Law Firm in Baltimore, who told the outlet that they are “continuing to gather the facts and the chronology of events, in order to see where that leads us.”

CNN has reached out to SBWD Law Firm, Tucker’s attorneys and the Ravens for comment.

When reached by CNN for comment on the seven new accusations, the NFL said: “The matter remains under review of the Personal Conduct Policy.”

Last month, the Banner reported that six unnamed massage therapists had accused Tucker of sexual misconduct, something Tucker vehemently denied.

Shortly after the initial investigative piece from the Banner dropped, three more massage therapists came forward to accuse the kicker of acting inappropriately, according to the outlet. None of the accusers has identified themself, telling the Banner it was to “protect their privacy” and that they “feared retaliation.”

Now, the Maryland-based publication says an additional seven accusers have come forward claiming Tucker acted inappropriately with them during sessions.

According to the Banner, the new allegations bear similarities to the previous ones, with some claiming Tucker had an erection for most of the massage, touched the thighs of therapists and one therapist claiming the NFL kicker made “intense eye contact” during the massage “while exposed.”

The Banner said that the new accusers came forward after seeing other women talking about having similar experiences with Tucker. One told the Banner she broke down in tears reading the first story and had a panic attack the next day.

Tucker – a 13-year veteran who is known as one of the league’s best place kickers – has previously denied the accusations, saying he had “never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during any massage therapy session… never received any complaints from a massage therapist … and have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business.”

“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,” Tucker said in a statement posted on X last month. “This is desperate tabloid fodder.”

In the statement, Tucker added: “I cannot allow false claims to go unchallenged. I cannot be any clearer. These allegations are false and incredibly hurtful to both me and, more importantly, my family,” the 35-year-old said.

The NFL didn’t say when the league became aware of the claims against Tucker but said in a January statement: “We first became aware of the allegations from the reporter investigating this story as they were not previously shared with the NFL.”

The league continued: “We take any allegation seriously and will look into the matter.”

The Ravens also released a statement in January noting the team was aware of the report and was taking “any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.”

Tucker won Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens in 2013 and owns the highest career field goal percentage (89.1%) making him the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

CNN’s David Close and Patrick Sung contributed to this report.