Corey Ballentine wishes DeAndre Baker well in armed robbery case
Corey Ballentine of the Giants looks on against the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 15, 2019. Credit: Mike Stobe
DeAndre Baker is facing four counts of armed robbery and the possibility of life in prison in Florida.
A teammate who was on the other end of an armed crime a year ago – one that ended tragically for his best friend and altered the course of his own rookie season – wished him well.
Corey Ballentine was shot the night he was drafted by the Giants in April 2019. His college teammate Dwane Simmons was killed in the same incident. On Tuesday, Ballentine said he considers Baker to be “my friend” despite the charges he faces and Ballentine having been on the other side of a similar situation.
"I don’t know what he had going on in his life and I’m not going to speak on it too much, but I definitely wish him the best,” Ballentine said.
Baker was formally charged earlier this month with four counts of robbery with a firearm by Broward (Florida) State Attorney Michael Satz. Police reports indicated that Baker not only used a weapon during the robbery in May but demanded that an accomplice shoot someone who had walked into the room during the crime. Baker was not formally charged with any crime regarding that aspect of the events, which are still in dispute by Baker and his attorneys.
That must have been upsetting for everyone associated with the Giants to hear about, but especially chilling for Ballentine given his own experiences. Ballentine, however, insisted that he is supportive of Baker.
“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” he said of the charges against Baker. “You never know what people are going through … I hope he gets through what he’s going through.”
Ballentine is one of the players who may wind up replacing Baker in the starting lineup. He’s been seeing reps at outside cornerback throughout training camp while Baker awaits trial in Florida and is on the commissioner’s exempt list.
“I’m just kind of going with it,” Ballentine said of his extended looks with the first unit. “I’m happy to play wherever they want me to play, wherever I’m needed, and that’s all there is to it. I’m not super worried about the depth chart or anything else.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
