DeAndre Baker, still facing eight felony charges related to an alleged armed robbery in Florida, has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
Until Monday afternoon’s development, Baker had expected to report to Giants training camp with other veteran players on Tuesday.
Here is what Baker’s attorney, Patrick G. Patel, told SNY:
“He’s in Jersey and he’s all scheduled to go (to camp for COVID-19) testing tomorrow,” Patel told SNY on Monday morning. “I don’t see that changing, but you never know.”
Obviously, it did change.
NFL.com defines the exempt list as follows:
“The Exempt List is a special player status available to clubs only in unusual circumstances. The List includes those players who have been declared by the Commissioner to be temporarily exempt from counting within the Active List limit. Only the Commissioner has the authority to place a player on the Exempt List; clubs have no such authority, and no exemption, regardless of circumstances, is automatic.:
In general, that means Baker is on paid leave.
Patel is not happy about the exempt list decision.
If mere allegations of crimes are enough to get a player put on the commissioners exempt list thus removing them from a team are we not opening up the league to potential frauds and manipulation of rosters by unscrupulous individuals who may have bets on games?
— Patrick G Patel esq. (@patel_esq) July 27, 2020
Charges have not yet formally been filed against Baker. That is a different from the case of placekicker Aldrick Rosas, who was charged with a trio of misdemeanors in an alleged hit-and-run traffic accident and has reportedly been cut by the Giants.
Baker will not count against the Giants’ roster limit while on the exempt list.
Patel told SNY he remains “hopeful” that the Broward County (Fla.) prosecutor’s office will not file any charges against Baker.
Per Pat Leonard, Baker will not be welcome at the Giants’ facility. Leonard tweeted:
Players on the commissioner’s exempt list still can report to a facility and participate in some non-football activities IF the team grants him permission to do so.
However, the #Giants are not granting DeAndre Baker that permission. So he is not welcome to report on Tuesday.