Baker plans to report for camp Tuesday
The Giants have not told DeAndre Baker to stay away.
And so he is planning on coming back. The troubled 2019 first-round draft pick, arrested on four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault in Florida, is expecting to report to training camp, alongside other veteran players, on Tuesday.
As of Friday afternoon, the Giants had not informed Baker’s camp that he is unwelcome at their facility. Baker has alerted authorities in Broward County that he is traveling to New Jersey on Sunday. Baker would then report to his second NFL camp on Tuesday to receive his first of two required COVID-19 tests and then join his teammates and check into the team hotel for two days of virtual meetings.
The Giants declined comment when asked if Baker and kicker Aldrick Rosas — facing three misdemeanor charges from a hit-and-run collision in California — are welcome at camp if nothing changes with either’s legal status between now and then.
“The case in Florida is still just pending and we are hopeful of a dismissal soon,” Patrick Patel, one of Baker’s attorneys, told The Post on Friday. “But right now DeAndre’s ONLY concern is the team. And he will not be a distraction and will not be discussing the case. It is all about Giants and teammates now. He cannot wait to get on the field and out of the news.”
Baker was told by the Giants to skip the virtual offseason program and focus on his legal issues, so re-assimilation with teammates is a step in the long road to reclaiming his starting cornerback position.
The Broward County District Attorney’s Office declined comment on Thursday regarding the status of its investigation into charges against Baker and the Seahawks’ Quinton Dunbar. Baker’s attorneys have denied allegations of a pay-off of accusers as suggested in a police warrant, saying they alerted authorities to an attempt to catch the accusers in a bribery scam. Dunbar’s attorneys have withdrawn over this.
“This investigation has more turns and twists than a Barry Sanders highlight reel,” prosecutor Alex Urruela told the court during a hearing this week, according to the Miami Herald. “As evidence keeps coming in, evaluations change.”
Rosas was charged with reckless driving, hit and run property damage and driving on a suspended license due to a previous DUI in California. He has an arraignment hearing Sept. 4 that does not require an in-person appearance and the case is unlikely to be resolved before then, so he also is planning to report, sources told The Post.
The NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List is a temporary solution often used for unresolved legal cases, including by the Giants last summer. Only the league — not teams — can put a player on the exempt list.