Due to Insufficient Evidence, Prosecutors Decline to Charge Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar
After months of uncertainty, the Seahawks may have cornerback Quinton Dunbar available to suit up this season after all.
According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Florida State Attorney Michael J. Satz announced Broward County prosectors declined to press criminal charges against Dunbar due to insufficient evidence. Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker, on the other hand, has been charged with four counts of robbery with a firearm.
Back in May, arrest warrants were issued for Baker and Dunbar after witnesses told the Miramar Police Department both players were involved in stealing $7,000 in cash, several watches, and other valuables at a house party. It remained disputed whether or not Dunbar had a weapon, but all of the witnesses claimed Baker used one in a threatening nature.
After laying low for a couple of days, Baker and Dunbar eventually turned themselves in while maintaining their innocence and both players were released on bail. The Giants didn't allow Baker to participate in virtual meetings from that point on, but Dunbar was eventually allowed to re-join the Seahawks in that capacity.
Last month, Pat Leonard of New York Daily News reported a new warrant indicated witnesses had been bribed by Dunbar's lawyer Michael Grieco to recent prior statements in written affidavits. Initially, Grieco denied the allegations, but less than 48 hours after the report was released, he and attorney Michael Weinstein removed themselves from the case and Dunbar received new representation.
Then on July 27, the NFL officially stepped in, placing Baker and Dunbar on the commissioner's exempt list and barring them from participating in football-related activities indefinitely. Dunbar has since appealed and this latest development could certainly help his cause.
Without charges levied against him, Dunbar should be eligible to practice with the Seahawks and partake in football-related activities once the NFL removes him from the exempt list. It remains unclear if that will happen immediately, as the league conducts its own internal investigations and could still hand out punishment despite the fact he wasn't formally charged.
After news broke, the NFL released the following statement in regard to Dunbar:
Seattle knows about this possibility all too well, as defensive tackle Jarran Reed received a six-game suspension last year stemming from a domestic violence incident in 2018. He wasn't charged due to lack of evidence, but the league still suspended him for nearly half of the regular season.
Still, Dunbar, who was acquired from Washington for a fifth-round pick in March, and the Seahawks couldn't have possibly asked for better news. The player won't have to worry about legal entanglements and now can shift his focus to helping his new team next season whenever he's cleared to return.
Assuming Dunbar's exempt status is lifted soon, he will compete against Tre Flowers for the starting right cornerback role opposite of Shaquill Griffin. If he's able to play in Week 1 and avoids a suspension, Seattle's secondary should be vastly improved from a talent and depth perspective after also trading for safety Jamal Adams last month.
