Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has defended the team’s decision to sign veteran kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad, emphasizing that Tucker has fulfilled his league-mandated suspension.
Tucker, widely regarded as one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, faced serious allegations in 2023 when 16 massage therapists in the Baltimore area accused him of sexual misconduct during the 2010s.
The 36-year-old, who previously won Super Bowl XLVII with the Baltimore Ravens, has consistently denied all allegations and was never charged criminally.
Following a formal investigation, the NFL handed Tucker a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Baltimore released Tucker in May 2025, characterizing the move as a strategic “football decision” after his performance declined in recent seasons.
Having completed his suspension last season, Tucker is now eligible to return to game action immediately.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Reid addressed the signing directly: “He’s served his suspension and taken care of that situation. I’ll leave it at that.”
“We conduct thorough research and speak with numerous individuals to ensure everything checks out before making such decisions.”
When questioned further about his due diligence process, Reid stated: “I’m not going to elaborate on all the details. But I did my homework, and he’s here now on the practice squad, so we move forward with it.”
Despite being a five-time All-Pro selection and ranking second in NFL history with an 89.1% field-goal conversion rate over 13 seasons, Tucker struggled significantly in 2024, converting just 73.3% of his attempts.
Kansas City’s pursuit of Tucker followed a slump by incumbent kicker Harrison Butker, who has handled kicking duties for the Chiefs since 2017 and ranks fifth in franchise history with an 87.3% accuracy rate.
However, the 31-year-old Butker has missed five of his 16 field-goal attempts this season, including two crucial misses in the Chiefs’ 20-3 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
