The New York Giants have told cornerback DeAndre Baker to stay away from team meetings and focus on his legal issues at this time, a source familiar with the team’s thinking told ESPN.
Baker faces four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm from an incident that occurred Wednesday night in Miramar, Florida. He was granted bond at $200,000 ($25,000 for each charge) on Sunday morning after spending the night in the Broward Sheriff’s Office jail.
The Giants said Thursday when a warrant went out for Baker’s arrest that they had been in contact with the second-year cornerback. Baker had been participating in most of the voluntary virtual offseason meetings and activities that began in late April, a source told ESPN.
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The first-round pick last year appeared to be among the favorites to start at cornerback for the Giants this season. That seems unlikely now considering his legal problems and hiatus from the team, which is learning new systems under a new coaching staff.
Broward County Judge Michael Davis also ordered that Baker and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar remain in Florida at this time. The judge noted the topic would be revisited should there be out-of-state work requirements.
Baker was released from jail on Sunday, per one of his attorneys, Patrick Patel, and online records. Dunbar was also released.
The Seahawks and Giants, along with the rest of the NFL, are currently conducting virtual offseason workouts because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is unlikely they would need to be in Seattle or New Jersey prior to this summer, at the earliest.
Dunbar faces four counts of armed robbery. He was granted a $100,000 bond ($25,000 for each charge) on Sunday. The state had asked for no bond for both Dunbar and Baker.
Baker was ordered to surrender his carry permit and firearm upon release, which was expected later Sunday. Both defendants were told they should not have any contact with the victims as part of their standard pre-trial conditions.
More details of the case were revealed in the court appearance, including that the alleged robbery occurred during an illegal dice gambling game at a Miramar house with 15 to 20 occupants in attendance.
According to the arrest warrant, Baker and Dunbar are accused of stealing money and watches with force while armed with semiautomatic firearms. It states that Baker intentionally threatened victims with a firearm. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, multiple witnesses said at one point during the incident that Baker ordered another suspect wearing a red mask to shoot an individual who was just entering the party.
Prosecutors said they haven’t identified the man in the red mask. There were no shots fired.
Dunbar’s lawyer, Michael Grieco, showed the judge five sworn affidavits that both sides confirmed came from the same parties (four victims and one witness) that the detectives spoke with. The prosecutor found it “suspect” that the witnesses recanted within 36 hours and that their affidavits were related directly to Dunbar.
One of Baker’s attorneys, Bradford Cohen, maintains that he has more affidavits, some that haven’t been presented to the state, for “a little strategic defense issue” in the event this case goes forward. A piece of the affidavit he did present from Dominick Johnson, a friend of both parties, was presented by the state.
“At some point there was an argument that arose between some of the parties that were playing the dice game,” it read. “I was never in fear for my life in any situation that happened that day and DeAndre Baker did not take any property from me and did not point a gun at anyone.”
It was mentioned throughout the proceedings that Baker and Dunbar have no prior criminal history.
Patel issued an apology on Sunday for the “distractions” caused.
“We sincerely thank all law enforcement for their diligent efforts to uncover the truth herein and sincerely apologize for the distractions that this event has caused to DeAndre’s team, teammates and the NFL community during this difficult time in everyone’s life!,” Patel wrote in a statement.
In a statement released through Grieco on Sunday, Dunbar also referenced “unnecessary distractions.”
“I would like to thank all my fans for their support and apologize to the Seattle Seahawks organization for any unnecessary distractions that these allegations against me may have caused,” Dunbar wrote. “In addition, I am very grateful to be a part of a team that supports one another and uphold the credibility of each of its members through adverse situations.
“Moving forward, this entire situation has taught me how to not associate myself with environments that may mischaracterize my values and who I am.”
With nearly every major sports league across the world still on hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Bundesliga resumes this weekend following a two-month absence. Ahead of Saturday’s return to the pitch, here’s everything you need to know about German soccer’s top flight.
Where and when to watch?
The season returns on Saturday, May 16 with a half-dozen matches broadcast by FOX Sports in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada. Both networks will also stream matches online.
picture alliance / picture alliance / Getty
Schedule for this weekend’s games
Date
Match
Time (ET)
TV
May 16
Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke
9:30 a.m.
FS1 and Sportsnet
May 16
RB Leipzig vs. Freiburg
9:30 a.m.
FS2 and SN World
May 16
Augsburg vs. Wolfsburg
9:30 a.m.
Fox Soccer Plus and SN1
May 16
Hoffenheim vs. Hertha Berlin
9:30 a.m.
Fox Soccer Match Pass and SN World Plus
May 16
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Paderborn
9:30 a.m.
Fox Soccer Match Pass and SN World Plus
May 16
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Monchengladbach
12:30 p.m.
FS1 and Sportsnet
May 17
FC Koln vs. Mainz
9:30 a.m.
FS1 and Sportsnet
May 17
Union Berlin vs. Bayern Munich
12:00 p.m.
FS1 and Sportsnet
May 18
Werder Bremen vs. Bayer Leverkusen
2:30 p.m.
FS2 and Sportsnet
Borussia Dortmund’s matchup with bitter foes Schalke is the standout fixture, as the clash represents one of the fiercest rivalries in European soccer.
Testing, quarantine, and other logistics
All eyes are on the Bundesliga, which, besides attracting fans desperate for sporting action, will also be a reference point for other major leagues looking to restart play amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The German Football League (DFL) has employed a task force to kick-start the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign. Matches will be played at empty stadiums and 25,000 tests will be used to check players, coaches, and first-team staff. Players are tested twice a week and before each match, and all first-team staff for the league’s 18 clubs have been isolated as part of seven-day training camps leading up to Saturday’s restart.
In the event of a positive coronavirus test for a player or staff member, a 14-day quarantine period will be imposed.
How is the season shaping up?
For 16 of the league’s 18 sides, there are nine matches left on the docket – Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen each have a match in hand. Plans are to have the domestic campaign completed by the end of July before European competitions resume in August.
When the season is completed, the top four teams qualify for the Champions League, while the fifth- and sixth-place sides book spots in next season’s Europa League. A third Europa League berth is allocated to the winner of the German domestic cup, the DFB-Pokal.
Anadolu Agency / Anadolu Agency / Getty
The bottom two sides are automatically relegated to the second tier, 2. Bundesliga, while the 16th-place team and the third-place team from the second division play a two-legged playoff at season’s end to secure a position in the top flight.
Here’s what the Bundesliga table has looked like since the league halted operations on March 13:
Position
Club
Record (W-D-L)
Points
1
Bayern Munich
17-4-4
55
2
Borussia Dortmund
15-6-4
51
3
RB Leipzig
14-8-3
50
4
Monchengladbach
15-4-6
49
5
Bayer Leverkusen
14-5-6
47
6
Schalke
9-10-6
37
7
Wolfsburg
9-9-7
36
8
Freiburg
10-6-9
36
9
Hoffenheim
10-5-10
35
10
FC Koln
10-2-13
32
11
Union Berlin
9-3-13
30
12
Eintracht Frankfurt
8-4-12
28
13
Hertha Berlin
7-7-11
28
14
Augsburg
7-6-12
27
15
Mainz
8-2-15
26
16
Fortuna Dusseldorf
5-7-13
22
17
Werder Bremen
4-6-14
18
18
Paderborn
4-4-17
16
Which club should you support?
The front-runner
Bayern Munich
A. Beier / FC Bayern / Getty
Nickname: Die Roten (The Reds)
Manager: Hansi Flick
Player to watch: Alphonso Davies
Record 29-time champs Bayern Munich have overcome early stumbles to regain top spot, as the Bavarian behemoths seek an unprecedented eighth consecutive top-flight title. Robert Lewandowski leads the league in goals (25), Thiago Alcantara highlights a world-class midfield, and Canadian teen talent Alphonso Davies stars at left-back for one of Europe’s best sides.
The title contenders
Borussia Dortmund
Nickname: Die Schwarzgelben (The Black-Yellows)
Manager: Lucien Favre
Player to watch: Jadon Sancho
Blessed with heaps of young talent, Borussia Dortmund feature budding stars like England star Jadon Sancho and Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. The last team not named Bayern Munich to win the league (2011-12), BVB employ tantalizing tactics that should attract neutrals and are backed by fervent support that will be sorely missed at the Signal Iduna Park.
RB Leipzig
Nickname: Die Roten Bullen (The Red Bulls)
Manager: Julian Nagelsmann
Player to watch: Timo Werner
The Bundesliga’s most hated side, RB Leipzig are an outsider tethered to a corporate energy drink in a sea of clubs part-owned by supporters. Formed a little more than a decade ago, Leipzig have surged up the German soccer ladder and play host to some of Europe’s best young starlets, including highly coveted forward Timo Werner.
Borussia Monchengladbach
Christian Verheyen / Borussia Moenchengladbach / Getty
Nickname: Die Fohlen (The Foals)
Manager: Marco Rose
Player to watch: Marcus Thuram
Few would have foreseen Borussia Monchengladbach’s title charge this season. Managerial newcomer Marco Rose deserves a lot of the praise, as do Marcus Thuram (World Cup winner Lilian’s son), Alassane Plea, and Ramy Bensebaini. Five-time league winners Gladbach boast more than a century of tradition in the soccer-mad North Rhine-Westphalia region.
The European hopefuls
Bayer Leverkusen
Nickname: Die Werkself (The Working 11)
Manager: Peter Bosz
Player to watch: Kai Havertz
From the same area as Dortmund, Gladbach, and others on this list, Bayer Leverkusen hold a unique place in the country’s game. Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby play at breakneck speeds, Kai Havertz is one of Europe’s budding stars, and first-choice shot-stopper Lukas Hradecky makes for a great interview and loves beer. What’s not to like?
Schalke 04
Nickname: Die Knappen (The Miners)
Manager: David Wagner
Player to watch: Amine Harit
Another submission from North Rhine-Westphalia, Schalke are one of Germany’s biggest and best-supported outfits. The club’s sporting ethos is intertwined with a community founded on coal-mining roots. In dizzying dribbler Amine Harit and American Weston McKennie, Schalke have two young, alluring stars boosting Die Knappen’s hopes for European competition.
Wolfsburg
David Lidstrom / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Nickname: Die Wolfe (The Wolves)
Manager: Oliver Glasner
Player to watch: Wout Weghorst
Birthed from a town sustained by Volkswagen and a thriving auto industry, 2008-09 Bundesliga winners Wolfsburg are led by the goal-scoring exploits of towering Dutch striker Wout Weghorst and a stingy defense that has conceded the joint-second-fewest goals in the league (30). However, Wolfsburg lack the same spirited local support that many German sides revel in.
Freiburg
Nickname: Die Breisgauer
Manager: Christian Streich
Player to watch: Nils Petersen
Freiburg’s initial plans to avoid relegation have shifted into European ambitions. Not bad for a club with modest resources and a tiny stadium. What the five-time winners of the second tier lack in top-flight honors, they make up for in enterprise. With eight goals this season, Nils Petersen passed current Germany international manager Joachim Low for the club’s all-time scoring mark.
Hoffenheim
Nickname: Die Kraichgauer
Manager: Alfred Schreuder
Player to watch: Andrej Kramaric
A longtime lower-league afterthought boosted by the financial backing of software mogul Dietmar Hopp, Hoffenheim were first promoted to the Bundesliga in 2008. Like Leipzig, Hoffenheim are labeled a plastic club, and Hopp has been the focal point of several protests from supporters of other sides. Nevertheless, Hoffenheim sit just two points adrift of a European spot.
The mid-table inhabitants
FC Koln
DeFodi Images / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Nickname: The Billy Goats
Manager: Markus Gisdol
Player to watch: Jhon Cordoba
Germany’s fourth-best supported club, FC Koln endured a rocky return to the Bundesliga this season with nine defeats in the opening 12 matches before a stellar run since December altered their path. Veteran displays from Jonas Hector and Timo Horn have been paired with a breakthrough from Sebastiaan Bornauw to good effect. Also, a derby at the RheinEnergieSTADION is a must.
Union Berlin
Nickname: Eisern Union (Iron Union)
Manager: Urs Fischer
Player to watch: Sebastian Andersson
Capital-city side Union Berlin are in their first campaign in the top flight, and the club has a lasting history that includes a spell on the Eastern Bloc side during the Cold War. Their supporters are animated and creative, and a shrewd offseason recruitment that brought in experienced players like Neven Subotic has made survival a reality. For more, this is a must-watch.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Nickname: Die Adler (The Eagles)
Manager: Adi Hutter
Player to watch: Filip Kostic
It should come as little surprise that Eintracht Frankfurt are mired in mid-table mediocrity after the summer sale of three players who accounted for 41 of the club’s 60 Bundesliga goals a year ago. Winger Filip Kostic has been a bright spot for the cup finalists. In terms of aesthetics, the formidable club crest is a reference to the one-headed imperial eagle of the 13th century.
Hertha Berlin
City-Press GmbH / City-Press / Getty
Nickname: Die Alte Dame (The Old Lady)
Manager: Bruno Labbadia
Player to watch: Matheus Cunha
Backed by recent investment, Hertha Berlin are on the ascendancy and spent big in the January transfer window on the likes of Krzysztof Piatek and Matheus Cunha. Hertha may be from the capital, but the club has a pittance of followers compared to most German sides; people from across the country live in Berlin, and they tend to support their hometown clubs.
The relegation worriers
Augsburg
Nickname: Die Fuggerstadter
Manager: Heiko Herrlich
Player to watch: Florian Niederlechner
Augsburg are familiar with relegation battles, though the Bavarian minnows are on course for a 10th straight season in the top flight after having spent their entire history in the lower leagues. Augsburg have the second-worst away form – though, in terms of positives, Florian Niederlechner’s 11 goals are nearly a third of the team’s total haul. Also, their home kits are slick.
Mainz 05
Nickname: Die Nullfunfer (The Zero-Fivers)
Manager: Achim Beierlorzer
Player to watch: Robin Quaison
Thanks to Swedish attacker Robin Quaison’s dozen Bundesliga goals, Mainz are narrowly above the relegation zone despite conceding the third-most tallies. Mainz is one of Germany’s foremost carnival cities, and after every home goal, the “Narrhallamarsch” tune is played on the loudspeakers. That makes for a good time, even if the soccer isn’t always as festive.
Fortuna Dusseldorf
City-Press / City-Press / Getty
Nickname: Die Flingeraner
Manager: Uwe Rosler
Player to watch: Erik Thommy
Fortuna Dusseldorf’s 25th season in the Bundesliga has not been their best, and after easily surviving the drop a year ago, second-season syndrome has sunk in. That’ll happen when you win just four matches ahead of the winter break. Matters have improved under veteran manager Uwe Rosler, with just one defeat in six matches since the former Manchester City star’s appointment.
Werder Bremen
Nickname: The Green-Whites
Manager: Florian Kohfeldt
Player to watch: Milot Rashica
Most sides struggling to survive relegation have little top-flight history, but four-time Bundesliga champs Werder Bremen are an exception. Conceding the most goals (55) hasn’t helped, nor has scoring the joint-fewest times (27). After each home goal, The Proclaimers’ smash hit “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” is played, which could soon symbolize Bremen’s distance from the top.
Paderborn 07
Nickname: None
Manager: Steffen Baumgart
Player to watch: Streli Mamba
For a club that has either been promoted or relegatedin each of the last six seasons, Paderborn’s yo-yo status and position propping up the Bundesliga table is hardly a shock. A return to the second tier beckons for the North-Rhine Westphalian side, which has suffered defeat in 17 of 25 league outings this season. Auf wiedersehen, Paderborn.
Breeding ground for young stars
There are plenty of reasons to tune in for the resumption of Bundesliga play, and the litany of emerging talent cutting its teeth in the top flight of German soccer is one of them.
Jean Catuffe / Getty Images Sport / Getty
From a North American perspective, none of Europe’s top five leagues features the same caliber of players from the United States and Canada as the Bundesliga.
Canadian teen Davies is developing into a cornerstone at Bayern and American midfielder McKennie is doing the same at Schalke, as is 17-year-old U.S. youth international Giovanni Reyna with Dortmund. Add in names like Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), Tyler Adams (Leipzig), and John Brooks (Wolfsburg), and it’s apparent that Bundesliga continues to furnish career opportunities for players from abroad, which should curry favor with North American fans.
