Former New York Giants cornerback Deandre Baker may have a path back to the NFL.
Baker was released by the Giants this past offseason due to his alleged involvement in an armed robbery in Florida. On Monday, the State Attorney's office dropped the charges against Baker and charged South Florida attorney William Dean with extortion. Per several reports, Dean told Baker's attorney that his clients -- three men who recanted statements last week accusing Baker of victimizing them in a robbery -- would do "anything you want, so long as the money is right," and attempted to extract $266,000 per client from Baker.
Baker's attorney, Bradford Cohen, released a statement to NFL.com and indicated that his client is seeking a return to the NFL. "I've been saying this from Day 1, that this was an extortion scheme and that Deandre was the victim. This event did not play out as they insinuated. And the case was dismissed," Cohen said. "Deandre has been working out since the day of this event. He knew he was innocent of the crime. He's been working out in case he gets signed by a team."
Baker was formally charged in August with four counts of robbery with a firearm. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who was also alleged to have been involved in the incident, was not charged at the time.
The NFL has yet to weigh in on Baker's situation. He was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List prior to being suspended, and would have to be removed from the list in order to become eligible to play in games. A first-round pick just last year, it's likely that Baker gets another shot from some team or another if the league clears him of involvement.
