The coronavirus has certainly caused a lot of financial damage to people and businesses around the world, but professional athletes stooping to robbery seems to be an extreme reaction. Unfortunately, this is allegedly what has happened, as police in South Florida now want two NFL football players to come in for questioning after they were accused of committing armed robbery of a house party Wednesday. Warrants have already been issued for their arrest.
Cornerbacks DeAndre Baker, 22, of the New York Giants and Quinton Dunbar, 27, of the Seattle Seahawks are reportedly behind the criminal activity, which took place at a home in Miramar. A neighborhood cookout was underway at the time, and a fight broke out that resulted in Baker brandishing a firearm. The two football players, along with two other accomplices, then began to rob the partygoers, taking everything from money to jewelry. They reportedly made off with thousands of dollars in cash.
Stealing thousands of dollars for athletes on multimillion-dollar contracts is puzzling enough, but is compounded by the thieves’ exit. There getaway cars weren’t exactly low-profile, and included a Mercedes Benz, a BMW and a Lamborghini. Confusing the situation even more is the fact that the witnesses told investigators that the cars had been parked in a manner to allow for a quick escape, which leads detectives to believe the entire ordeal was planned from the start.
Baker was picked up in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Giants last season and went on to start in 15 games for the team. He picked up 61 tackles on the season, and should have been well-set financially. He reportedly signed a four-year contract worth $10.525 million that included a $5.6-million signing bonus. The Giants said after being contacted about the incident, “We are aware of the situation. We have been in contact with DeAndre. We have no further comment at this time.”
Dunbar has been in the league a little longer. He first entered as an undrafted free agent in 2015, being initially scouted by the Washington Redskins. He got off to a slow start with the team, but ended last season with 37 tackles, eight blocked passes and four interceptions in 11 games. This past March, the Redskins traded him to the Seahawks as he was coming into the third year of a three-year contract that would give him $3.25 for the year. The Seahawks issued a statement after the news broke, saying, “We are aware of the situation involving Quinton Dunbar and still gathering information. We will defer all further comment to league investigators and local authorities.”
The arrest warrants were issued yesterday, but not until after Dunbar had apparently already participated in a public event. He held a video conference with Seattle media yesterday morning and said, “You just want to feel wanted at the end of the day… I just hope to repay [the Seahawks] with the way I carry myself as a person.” If Dunbar was hoping to feel wanted, he got his wish. He’s certainly wanted by the police.
