Chiefs sign Justin Tucker to practice squad as Andy Reid defends the move

The Kansas City Chiefs signed former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad on Wednesday, adding him as insurance behind starter Harrison Butker, who has missed five of 16 field goal attempts this season. The Ravens released Tucker in May 2025, calling it a football decision, after more than a dozen massage therapists accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior. Tucker denied the allegations and was never criminally charged, but he served a 10-game NFL suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy and became eligible to return in November. Asked about the signing, Reid said the team had done its homework and talked to many people, but he declined to give details.

Right-leaning outlets, the New York Post and Daily Mail, center Reid's answers and public anger. The Post's headline says Reid was grilled over a controversial signing, and it highlights his vague replies, the suspension and 16 accusers. The Daily Mail's headline says the Chiefs were blasted and calls Reid's explanation disgusting, leading with fan anger and a statement from the accusers' lawyers, and it describes Tucker as disgraced while quoting his denial. Left-leaning outlets, The Guardian US and NBC News, lead with the allegations and Reid's brief remarks. The Guardian pairs the signing with the misconduct allegations and Butker's slump, quoting a therapist who called the alleged behavior degrading and citing Tucker's declining statistics. NBC News quotes Reid's line that Tucker had done his suspension and describes accounts from six women first reported by the Baltimore Banner. Both sides report Reid's explanation, the suspension and Tucker's denial. They differ in emphasis: right coverage centers on Reid's evasiveness and fan reaction, while left coverage centers on the allegations and Butker's performance. Defector, an independent outlet, uses much harsher, opinionated language about the signing.