Home SPORTS NYG’s Baker charged; Seattle’s Dunbar won’t be

NYG’s Baker charged; Seattle’s Dunbar won’t be

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1:26 PM ET

  • Jordan RaananESPN Staff Writer

New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker is being prosecuted on four counts of robbery with a firearm, per Broward State Attorney Mike Satz. If convicted, Baker faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in state prison.

Baker originally was charged with four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. The decision to prosecute came almost three months after an incident in Miramar, Florida.

Broward prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar because of insufficient evidence. However, Dunbar could still face a suspension based on recent NFL precedent. The league suspended Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed six games last year over a 2017 incident in which he was not arrested or charged due to insufficient evidence.

Baker and Dunbar were placed on the commissioner’s exempt list at the start of training camp. Baker had been told to stay away from the Giants’ virtual offseason program this spring while he dealt with his legal problems. The Seahawks, however, had Dunbar participating despite the pending charges.

Baker, 22, is unlikely to play another down for the Giants. He was a first-round pick last year out of the University of Georgia. The Giants traded up for Baker despite at least two teams telling ESPN last spring that there were red flags on the former Georgia All-American. He then had a rocky rookie year on and off the field. Two players described Baker as a “handful” last year, and he was benched late in the season after then-coach Pat Shurmur called him out on his effort in front of the entire team.

The Seahawks acquired Dunbar for a fifth-round pick in a March trade with Washington, which was their biggest offseason acquisition until their recent trade for Jamal Adams. Dunbar is scheduled to make $3.25 million in base salary with another $250,000 available in per-game roster bonuses in the final year of his contract, none of which is guaranteed.

According to the original arrest warrant, Baker and Dunbar were accused of stealing money and watches with force while armed with semiautomatic firearms. It stated that Baker intentionally threatened victims with a firearm. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, multiple witnesses said that at one point during the incident Baker ordered another suspect wearing a red mask to shoot an individual who was just entering the party.

The case has taken twists and turns since. The witnesses quickly signed affidavits changing their original story, and the New York Daily News reported that a search warrant indicated that a witness in the alleged robbery oversaw a payoff to the victims at the office of former Dunbar attorney Michael Grieco.

The league has said in recent weeks that the matter remains under review.

Asked about the NFL’s position on Dunbar in light of Friday’s news, a league spokesperson said, “We have been monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review.”

Baker and Dunbar are not known to have any previous criminal history.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

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