New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman minced no words on Wednesday when asked about second-year cornerback DeAndre Baker and former kicker Aldrick Rosas.
“Obviously it’s disappointing. And there was nothing in Aldrick’s background and nothing in DeAndre’s background that suggest these things would happen,” Gettleman told reporters. “It’s disappointing on a variety of levels. And it hurts us because they are two talented players as well.
“I guess what it teaches us all is that nothing is 100 percent except death and taxes. . . I’d be a liar if I said anything less. It’s disappointing, but it’s life.”
Rosas was released in late July after being charged with reckless driving on a highway, hit-and-run property damage and driving while suspended/revoked for DUI of alcohol/drugs stemming from an incident on June 15.
Gettleman was reminded of Rosas’ college arrest, where he was found guilty of driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08, but noted that came prior to his time as general manager.
But when it comes to Baker, there’s nothing the Giants and Gettleman didn’t know. And even going back over his history, they still can’t find anything that would have raised red flags.
“Did we thoroughly investigate DeAndre’s background? Absolutely. There’s nothing there we didn’t know,” Gettleman said.
Baker is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list after being charged with four counts of robbery with a firearm following an incident in Florida in May, but his case it’s not quite as cut and dry as Rosas’. For that reason, the Giants have discussed potentially keeping Baker on the team until his legal situation plays itself out.
“We’re still in conversations on that,” Gettleman said.
But the optics of that are not great and cast a shadow over the team.
“That’s a fair question,” Gettleman said when asked why the Giants don’t adopt a zero tolerance policy in Baker’s case. “All I can say to that: In life, there’s timing that’s involved. In life, there’s timing.”
That timing could be about getting some money back from Baker or it could be about assuming the 22-year-old’s innocence until proven guilty. Either way, a decision on Baker’s future with the organization has not been made.
Baker has an arraignment scheduled for January, so he will not play for the Giants this season either way.
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