The Kansas City Chiefs signing embattled kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad has ruffled many football feathers on social media.
Tucker, who served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after 24 total women accused him of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during massage sessions, signed on the Chiefs’ practice squad amid kicking woes with another field goal specialist, Harrison Butker.
Considering the Chiefs’ history with controversial players in recent seasons, OutKick’s Craig Carton believes the Tucker signing has to beg the question: Is it really win at all costs?
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“Remember what Kansas City is,” Carton said. “A guy like Justin Tucker — 24 different women accused him of inappropriate sexual misconduct. 24 of them. The NFL doesn’t even like suspending its players, no matter what the crime is. And they suspended him for 10 full games. Like, at some point, let that sink in and then ask yourself the question: Is it really win at all costs? Is that really what Kansas City and the Hunt family should stand for? Is it? Apparently, it is.”
Carton continued by saying the Chiefs and their owners, the Hunt family, “don’t care about their community” when they sign someone like Tucker to compete for a job.
“They don’t care about the type of person that wears the Kansas City colors. They just care about it doesn’t matter how bad a guy that guy might be,” he added. “Can he help me win a football game? I know it’s naïve of me to think otherwise that any other team doesn’t do it, but Kansas City is the worst at it.
“So, yeah, celebrate Patrick Mahomes — one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen, who also appears to be a really good guy and does everything right despite knuckleheads around him like his father, like his brother. We should celebrate the Patrick Mahomes out there, and I think we do. But we shouldn’t do it without also paying attention to the bad guys in football, and ask the Kansas City Chiefs, and specifically Andy Reid, the question of: At what cost? At what cost is that Lombardi Trophy worth?”
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In January 2025, The Baltimore Banner reported 16 female massage therapists had accused Tucker of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during sessions between 2012 and 2016 at eight different spas in the Baltimore area. Tucker was playing for the Ravens, the franchise he thrived with on the field as one of the greatest kickers of all time in the NFL.
According to the report, the accusers said they ended sessions early or refused to work with Tucker again because of the allegations. The report also stated that Tucker was banned from returning to two of those spas, a claim Tucker’s legal team denied.
The report also mentioned that five of the women accusing Tucker claimed he was erect during sessions with him and that he fully or partially exposed himself, while others made other accusations of egregious acts.
Then, on Feb. 16, 2025, the same outlet reported seven more women came forward with allegations similar to the previous about the NFL player. The second wave of allegations accused Tucker of “acting inappropriately” at some of the best luxury spas in Baltimore, including the spas at the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton Residences in the city.
Tucker denied all accusations in a statement to OutKick last year.
“I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session, nor have I ever been told I am unwelcome at any massage therapy provider,” he said. “These claims are simply not true.”
He added at the time that he was recounting 13 years of experiences with bodywork professionals.
“I can assure whoever is reading this that I have never intended to disrespect anyone, cross any boundary, or make anyone feel uncomfortable in any way whatsoever.
“It devastates me to know that anyone I have worked with would not have felt respected and valued as a professional, but more importantly as a person, and to anyone who has felt otherwise, I am sorry,” Tucker said in his statement, the full text of which can be found below. “I want you to know I am committed to ensuring that everyone I interact with continues to feel that I respect them and care about them as a human being.”
The Ravens cut ties with Tucker after 13 seasons in May 2025, saying it was a “football decision.” Tucker was never criminally charged or sued civilly over the allegations, but the allegations, and subsequent NFL suspension, led some to compare him to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Both of their cases involved allegations from multiple female massage therapists, with Watson facing an 11-game suspension in 2022.
The Chiefs’ history with controversial players includes wide receiver Rashee Rice, who was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas in March 2024, leading to felony charges. He served jail time this offseason after violating his probation.
In the past, running back Kareem Hunt was cut by the Chiefs after surveillance video surfaced of a domestic dispute with a woman in a hotel hallway. He served an eight-game suspension in March 2019, though the Chiefs re-signed him in 2024. He spent the last two seasons with Kansas City, playing 30 games. At the time of his re-signing, head coach Andy Reid said that the running back matured, took accountability and deserved a second chance with the club.
Tyreek Hill was also a polarizing receiver who faced a 2014 domestic assault case that was dismissed and a 2019 child abuse probe, though no charges were filed.
And while it isn’t a legal situation, Butker fell into controversial waters after delivering his commencement speech at Benedictine College, where he criticized Pride Month, abortion policies and traditional career roles for women, which drew widespread media reaction and caused Reid and others to field questions about his cultural stances.
On the field, the Chiefs suffered their first loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 7. They still lead the AFC West with a 5-1 record, and look like a team ready to compete for the Lombardi Trophy once more.
It’s unknown how much of a leash Reid and the Chiefs have on Butker’s starting kicker status. He is tied for the most missed field goals in the NFL this season with five.
Tucker, who turns 37 next month, had his worst statistical season of his career in 2024, making only 73.3% of his field goal attempts, which is a career-low. However, he is one of the most decorated at his position to ever play the sport, tallying five first-team nods and seven Pro Bowls. His 89.1% field goal percentage is the second-best mark of all time.
OutKick’s Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
