New York Giants waive DeAndre Baker, parting ways with 2019 first-rounder facing robbery charges
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants have officially parted ways with DeAndre Baker as he awaits arraignment on four separate charges of robbery with a firearm for an incident that took place in his native Florida back in May.
Both co-owner and team president John Mara and general manager Dave Gettleman indicated the release of Baker was only a matter of time, and that time is now.
On Baker, who remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, Mara said “a decision will be made sooner rather than later” regarding his place on the Giants.
Essentially, the message from the Giants was that they’d be releasing Baker at some point. Calling the situation with Baker and Aldrick Rosas, who has already been released following a legal entanglement of his own, disappointing and “embarrassing,” Mara echoed Gettleman’s words from the previous day by saying: “The DeAndre thing was a shock.”
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Baker, 22, was formally charged last month in connection with a May 13 incident in Miramar. He is accused of stealing cash and watches from four men at a house party in the city. If convicted, the punishment for robbery with a firearm is a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in state prison.
Baker surrendered to jail on May 16 and was released on bond while the investigation has been pending. He has not been with the team since.
His next court hearing date is scheduled for early 2021.
There’s no sugarcoating Baker’s departure: the development is a disaster in terms of investment and perception for the Giants, considering Gettleman opted to use three draft picks to move up and acquire the former Georgia star last year.
