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Ravens' Justin Tucker faces sexual misconduct allegations; kicker slams report

30 January 2025 at 17:45

Baltimore Ravens star kicker Justin Tucker was accused in a bombshell report Thursday of sexual misconduct by several massage therapists during a period spanning four years, including his rookie season, when he helped the team win a Super Bowl. 

Six massage therapists in the Baltimore area accused the NFL kicker of exposing himself during sessions at four different high-end spas and wellness centers, brushing the alleged victims with his genitals and other acts of alleged sexual misconduct from 2012-2016.

The allegations were first revealed in a report by The Baltimore Banner.

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Tucker released a statement through his attorneys Thursday not long after the news broke, calling the allegations "unequivocally false."

"Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sought to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism. I have never before been accused of misconduct of any kind, and I have never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during a massage therapy session or during other bodywork," Tucker’s statement said. 

"I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, have never been dismissed from a massage therapy or bodywork session and have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business." 

Tucker, a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro during his 13-year NFL career, took aim at the outlet’s reporting, calling it "desperate tabloid fodder." 

RAVENS STAR KICKER JUSTIN TUCKER SAYS STEELERS' FIELD CONDITIONS WEREN'T 'IDEAL' AFTER SHAKY PERFORMANCE

"It is no surprise that the paper’s interactions with me were marked by journalistic failures at every turn," Turner said. "When I first learned that the newspaper was writing this article, they refused to reveal the full claims they were planning to make against me. 

"It wasn’t until I was forced to hire the leading defamation law firm in the U.S. to write to the paper that they finally revealed what they were planning on writing. Then, when they did finally provide some of this information, they gave me next to no time to provide a response. It is clear why. They had no interest in what I (or anyone else) had to say." 

Tucker accused the outlet of "deliberately misconstruing events as nefarious" and relying on "third-party speculation."

"The newspaper had already written this false, salacious profile well before ever attempting to speak to me or any of the bodywork professionals I have worked with closely for the better part of the last decade. The newspaper made no effort to interview these key witnesses until prompted to do so by my defamation attorney because they did not want to hear what they had to say about me."

The Baltimore Banner told Fox News Digital in response to Tucker's remarks, "We stand by our story as published."

According to the report, the accusers said they ended sessions early or refuse to work with Tucker again because of the allegations. The report also says Tucker was banned from returning to two of those spas, a claim Tucker’s legal team denied. 

Among the allegations leveled in the report, five women claimed the NFL player was erect during sessions with him and that he fully or partially exposed himself, while others made other accusations of egregious acts.  

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the NFL said it learned of the accusations from the reporter investigating the story and that allegations were not previously reported to the league. 

"We take any allegation seriously and will look into the matter," the statement continued. 

The Ravens told Fox News Digital, "We are aware of The Baltimore Banner’s story regarding Justin Tucker. We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation." 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Supreme Court makes decision on gun law challenges in Delaware, Maryland

13 January 2025 at 13:19

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear challenges to gun laws in Delaware and Maryland.

The justices turned away an appeal from a group of gun enthusiasts and firearm advocacy groups in Delaware to block the state’s prohibition on assault-style rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines after a lower court refused to issue a preliminary injunction against the ban.

Delaware’s gun safety laws were enacted in 2022 and ban various semi-automatic "assault" long guns, including the AR-15 and AK47, though it allows those who owned such weapons prior to the law being enacted to keep the firearms under certain conditions, according to Reuters.

The high court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, also declined to hear a case challenging Maryland's handgun licensing requirements, which requires people to get safety training, submit fingerprints and pass a background check before buying a handgun. 

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The challengers argued that the handgun law violates the Second Amendment by making it too hard for people to get guns. 

MONTANA AG ASKS SUPREME COURT TO UPHOLD LAW REQUIRING PARENTAL CONSENT FOR A MINOR'S ABORTION

The law was passed following the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed.

A three-judge appeals court panel later struck down the law after a landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights and said firearm laws must have strong roots in the country's historic traditions, though the full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later revived the law after the majority found that it does fit within historic firearm regulations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ICE nabs several migrants convicted of child molestation, one convicted murderer, in blue state suburbs

19 December 2024 at 15:42

EXCLUSIVE – Baltimore ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officials on Thursday arrested eight migrants, including four convicted of child molestation and one murderer, in suburban Maryland. 

The arrests happened during an exclusive Fox News ride-along with the government agency. 

One of the migrants apprehended was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor and exposing himself in public several times. Another migrant, from the Philippines, was previously convicted of molesting a 10-year-old girl.

According to ICE, the one migrant convicted of murder was living in the U.S. on a permanent visa status.

MIGRANT CRIME PROBLEM ‘COURTESY’ OF BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, DEMOCRATIC PARTY: REP. PETE SESSIONS 

"The people we are out for are the worst of the worst," Baltimore field office Director Matthew Elliston told Fox News' David Spunt. "It's not the average person who is in the country illegally. If we are targeting you, there is a reason."

The goal is simple for the Baltimore ICE Field Office: arrest and then deport as many illegal migrants with criminal records as possible. ICE agents’ goal at the start of the day was to capture eight targets, and all eight targets are now in custody.

Now all eight of those migrants are behind bars and await hearings in front of immigration judges and potential deportation.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR ON IMMIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY IN 2025

According to ICE data obtained by the House Homeland Security Committee in September, there are at least 650,000 criminal illegal immigrants on the agency’s "non-detained docket," meaning they are free in the U.S. interior. Of those, 14,944 are murderers and over 20,000 have been convicted of sexual assault.

Although not officially a sanctuary state, Maryland, which is led by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and a majority Democratic state assembly, is considered immigrant friendly. The city of Baltimore, meanwhile, has an official policy that does not allow law enforcement to ask residents about their immigration status.

ICE data indicates that Baltimore ERO arrested 570 migrants with either a criminal conviction or a pending criminal charge in fiscal year 2024.

Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against Linda McMahon, Trump’s Education Secretary Pick, Is Paused

8 December 2024 at 16:42
Linda McMahon is accused of failing to stop abuse in the 1980s within W.W.E., which she led at the time. The suit is on hold pending a ruling over a state law related to such cases.

© Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

Linda McMahon during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July.
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