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DeAndre Baker is still in Florida, training every day in the hopes that he’ll soon be able to rejoin the Giants.
The Giants, though, have still not welcomed him back.
And it’s not clear when — or if — they will.
Though the 22-year-old cornerback is out on bail after being arrested in connection with an armed robbery last month, and is even free to travel to New Jersey, his status with the Giants remains unchanged, according to a source familiar with the team’s thinking. Baker was told to stay away from team meetings back on May 17 so he could “focus on his legal issues,” the source said, and he’s still not allowed to participate in any of their video meetings.
When and if that changes probably depends on what the prosecutors in Broward County, Fla. do next, according to Baker’s attorney, Patrick G. Patel. Baker was charged with four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault stemming from an incident at a party in Miramar, Fla. on May 13. Patel previously told SNY the case against his client was “complete garbage” and that Baker was the victim of a “shakedown”.
In an interview with SNY on Wednesday, Patel reiterated his position and said he still expects the charges against Baker to be dropped – possibly by the end of this week.
“As soon this dismissal goes (through), he’s going to head back to Jersey and start practicing,” Patel told SNY. “If it becomes a charge, then the NFL will suspend him. So the Giants are really just playing it cool right now, which is the right thing to do. Just do nothing until the state makes a decision on what they’re going to do.”
Video: FNNY: Breaking down Baker, what to do with DeAndre?
Patel said the “general timeline” for prosecutors to make a decision is 30 days from when Baker turned himself in, which was on May 16. That gives them another 12 days to decide whether or not to proceed with the criminal case. Patel, though, said he expects the decision will come in the next few days. And he’s hopeful it will all be resolved before the NFL has to act.
“I think we’ve got the case won, to be honest with you. I think it’s only a matter of time,” Patel said. “But it’s the kid’s life. This kid will get suspended and lose his job, and then the case gets dismissed and what have we done? So everybody’s taking a wait and see approach.”
That does seem to be the approach the Giants are taking, keeping Baker away even though he’s free on $200,000 bail and a judge approved a motion that would allow him to return to New Jersey for work. The Giants, of course, are conducting their offseason virtually like every other team in the NFL, and it’s unlikely they will hold any in-person activities for players until training camp begins this summer. They are tentatively scheduled to open camp on July 29, though that obviously could be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patel believes that Baker’s case will be long over by then. He again told SNY that witnesses who identified Baker as the perpetrator of a crime have since recanted their statements to police. And he said he has evidence that Baker was logged in and playing the Madden NFL Football video game at the time the alleged crime and even the gambling that led to it took place.
Even if charges are dropped, the NFL could still punish Baker for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy – and they are investigating the incident that led to his arrest, according to a source. Regardless, Patel again said he believes Baker – who had attitude and work-ethic issues with the Giants last season – has been “scared straight” by this whole experience.
“Hopefully it’s a wake-up call for the young kid,” Patel said. “That’s what he needed. He wasn’t a first-round draft choice as a player last year, you know?”