By Michael Stewart/@golferbad
Introduction: If the recent allegations involving New York Giants cornerback D’Andre Baker are true, he is being charged with four counts of armed robbery with a firearm and four counts of aggravated assault. If convicted; his affiliation with the New York Giants and the NFL are over. Reports out of Miami Florida have eye witnesses claiming that Baker had a semi-automatic weapon and pointing it at people with threatening intentions. Florida law if found guilty, Baker could be facing 15 years for each allege armed robbery charges as Florida imposes harsher penalties for armed robbery conviction than New York. The New York Giants will allow the justice system and the evidence go through it’s due process before a decision is made on Baker. However; it’s hard to believe that this information is unwarranted and if so, the Giants will wash their hands of him and move on. Baker is not the first NFL/ex-NFL player to commit a crime that could ban him from ever playing in the NFL again. Below is a list of a few former NFL players committing horrendous crimes:
- O.J Simpson: Simpson was charged for killing his wife and her friend Ronald Goldman on June 12, 1994.
- Aaron Hernandez: Hernandez was charged for killing an acquaintance Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was convicted of 1st degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Hernandez later committed suicide in jail by hanging himself.
- Rae Carruth: Carruth back on November 16, 1999 had his pregnant girlfriend murdered to avoid being a father.
- Robert Rozier: Rozier joined a religious supremacist group and to be accepted, he needed to kill white people. In total, Rozier killed seven people and was convicted.
- Eric Naposki: Naposki conspired along with his lover Nanette Johnston to murder Johnston boyfriend to collect on his life insurance policy. Both were convicted of murder.
Final Thoughts: Although Baker hasn’t committed murder, these are serious allegations and a black eye to the NFL and the New York Giants organization. GM Dave Gettleman has been blasted recently in social media for now drafting Baker; which he surrendered additional picks to move up to select. Were there any red flags on Baker during the drafting process? Absolutely, but no one could have envisioned these chains of events to unfold. New Head Joe Judge will act swiftly once all the information is in and if the reports on Baker are confirmed (assault charges), the Giants will cut him and move on. Judge will then need to decide which direction to take moving forward on whether to replace Baker through free agency as the top two remaining cornerbacks are Logan Ryan who is familiar with Judge during their time in New England and Brandon Carr. Ryan could play either outside or in the slot and Carr is a solid cover man on the outside. Judge could also wait it out and let his in-house cornerbacks battle it out and then bring in a cornerback during the waiver wire for additional depth.