Less than five months after 16 Baltimore-area massage therapists accused then-Ravens kicker Justin Tucker of engaging in inappropriate behavior during sessions, leading two spas to ban him, the NFL concluded its investigation and suspended Tucker for 10 weeks without pay Thursday for violations of the league’s personal conduct policy.

Tucker’s suspension will begin on roster cut-down day, Aug. 26. It will last until Nov. 11.

One massage therapist who told The Baltimore Banner in January that Tucker repeatedly exposed his genitals to her during a 2014 massage and touched her arm with his erect penis called the NFL’s decision “a small victory.”

“I don’t think it’s enough,” the massage therapist said. “He got 10 weeks, and we have to deal with this the rest of our lives.”

One woman who said Tucker repeatedly exposed himself during a 2015 massage and then left ejaculate on her massage table said she felt “a little vindicated” by the NFL’s decision.

“I’m glad that something was done,” she said. “It’s nice to feel finally heard.”

But the woman, who stopped working as a massage therapist shortly after working on Tucker and later moved to West Virginia, said the NFL penalty did little to assuage her pain.

“It’s the bare minimum,” she said of Tucker’s punishment. “I had to walk away from a career because of that man.”

The first massage therapist to share her story with The Banner in January said she thought the NFL’s decision was a “huge win for us as massage therapists.”

The therapist, who said Tucker repeatedly exposed himself to her during a 2014 massage, said coverage of the case has fostered dialogue about treating massage therapists with respect.

“We just want and demand a safe working environment,” said the therapist, adding that she has seen more spa owners post notices in recent months about appropriate behavior.

“We’re a medical profession. We’re licensed with the state,” she said. “I will keep having these conversations, and I will keep advocating for massage therapists to have a safe work environment.”

The women have asked not to be identified by name to protect their privacy, fearing retaliation from the Ravens organization or fans.

Michael Belsky and Catie Dickinson, attorneys representing many of the massage therapists who accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior, said the NFL’s investigation “validated the experiences told by each of the victims.”

“It would have been simple for Mr. Tucker many months ago to have apologized and acknowledged wrongdoing. Instead Mr. Tucker insisted on falsely attacking the credibility of the victims and only further victimizing them,” the attorneys, who are partners with SBWD Law in Baltimore, said in a statement. “This was completely unnecessary and should not be acceptable.”

Attorneys representing Tucker did not immediately return a request for comment.

Because Tucker is a free agent, he can serve his suspension while not under contract with a team.

If he signs before the season starts, he can participate in training camp and preseason games. His suspension will go into effect once the regular season begins in September.

Tucker received a slightly shorter suspension than Deshaun Watson, who missed 11 games nearly 17 months after the first of over two dozen lawsuits were filed against the then-Houston Texans quarterback for sexual misconduct during massages. Watson settled almost all the lawsuits.

Under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, serious violations — including “sexual assault involving physical force or committed against someone incapable of giving consent” — are subject to at least six-game suspensions. Factors such as a “pattern of conduct” and “offenses that involve planning” can increase the punishment of policy violations.

Tucker chose to accept the NFL’s decision rather than asking an arbitrator to review the league’s investigation. Doing so would have led to the release of the disciplinary officer’s findings.

Tucker’s agent, Rob Roche, said he advised his client to accept the punishment so he could move on with his career. In a statement sent to ESPN, Roche reiterated his client’s previous statements in which Tucker denied all the allegations.

“We are disappointed with the NFL’s decision. Justin has always strived to carry himself in a way that would make his family and community proud. He stands by his previous statements. In order to put this difficult episode behind him and get back on the field as soon as possible, we have advised Justin to accept this resolution and close this matter. The people who know Justin best know his character and understand that while he remains fully committed to excellence as a football player, he is deeply dedicated to his most important lifetime roles as a father, husband, and friend,” Roche said in the statement.

Tucker, an undrafted rookie who signed with the Ravens in 2012 and became one of the best kickers of all time, was released in May. The team selected kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the draft, and, after two days of seeing him kick live, parted ways with Tucker for “football reasons.”

Tucker holds the NFL records for career field goal percentage (89.1%) and longest field goal made (66 yards). However, last season was the worst of his 13-year career. He finished with a field goal percentage of 73.3% and missed several important kicks in close games.

Throughout his struggles, the Ravens reiterated their faith in Tucker. They said they’d be willing to “turn over every stone” but that they didn’t think they’d find a better kicker than Tucker.

On Jan. 30, nearly two weeks after the Ravens’ season ended in a divisional-round playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, The Banner published an investigation citing six massage therapists who accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior during sessions, including repeatedly and intentionally exposing his erect genitals, brushing two therapists with his exposed penis and, in several cases, leaving what appeared to be ejaculate on the massage table. The women claimed these incidents occurred from 2012, his rookie year, to 2016. Two spas said they banned him.

Tucker denied the accusations in a statement posted on X hours after the investigation was published.

Over the next few weeks, 10 more women came forward, bringing the number to 16 massage therapists across eight spas and wellness centers. Tucker continued to deny all the allegations but said it “devastates” him to know therapists were uncomfortable during sessions with him. “I am sorry,” he said in a statement.

Within three weeks of the initial report, the NFL’s investigators were in Baltimore interviewing the massage therapists.

Meanwhile, the Ravens declined to comment on the investigation, saying the NFL was conducting it. At the NFL combine, general manager Eric DeCosta called the allegations “serious and concerning.” He said the Ravens would wait “as patiently as possible” before making any decisions about Tucker.

Team President Sashi Brown reiterated at the NFL owners meetings in March that the Ravens would wait to decide on Tucker’s future until the NFL announced its findings.

Once rookie minicamp arrived in May, coach John Harbaugh said any decisions would be based on football, not the investigation. The next day, Tucker was released. He has since put his Baltimore home up for sale.

Several weeks later, Harbaugh indicated a potential suspension played a role in the team’s “complex decision-making process,” referring to unnamed “issues.”

“It’s complicated,” Harbaugh said. “But in the end it all comes back to what you have to do to get ready for your team to play the first game. I think if you step back and take a look at all the issues, all the ramifications, you can understand that we’ve got to get our football team ready, and we’ve got to have a kicker ready to go. And that was the move that we decided to make. So in that sense it’s a football decision.”

Banner reporters Jonas Shaffer and Justin Fenton contributed to this article.