 Baker in 2003 | |||||||||
| No. 83, 88 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1976-03-14)March 14, 1976 (age 49) Gainesville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Gainesville (FL) P. K. Yonge | ||||||||
| College | Auburn | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1999: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Robert Cedrick Baker, III (born March 14, 1976) is a former professionalgridiron football player, most recently with theToronto Argonauts of theCanadian Football League from2004 to2006 as a slotback andwide receiver. He is the older brother of the lateDante Anderson.
Baker playedcollege football with theAuburn Tigers football team from 1995 to 1996, but was declared academically ineligible to play in 1997. His college career is most remembered by a first quartertouchdown pass he caught againstGeorgia in 1996. After the touchdown, Baker began celebrating near Georgia mascot,Uga V. The dog lunged at Baker, with the incident now captured in a famous picture.
In 1998, Baker began his life as a drug dealer. He was later arrested by police inFlorida in an undercover drug sting, subsequently getting sentenced to 15 years in prison with a $50,000 fine. Baker spent the next five months in aLee County, Florida jail, then transferred to the state penitentiary. Eleven months after the transfer, Baker got his early release.
Between 1999 and 2003, Baker was a member of theMiami Dolphins of theNational Football League, spending equal time on the active roster, injured reserve, the practice squad or even being cut from the team before getting re-signed a year later. Baker has also played with theFrankfurt Galaxy ofNFL Europe in 2003.
On March 16, 2004, Baker signed with the Argonauts. In each of his first two seasons with the Argonauts, he had amassed over 1,000 receiving yards each time. Baker also won aGrey Cup championship in his first year with the team, scoring a 23-yard touchdown reception. Despite those achievements, Baker was also known for his inconsistent performances that featured either untimely dropped passes orfumbles after making his receptions. Baker also developed a reputation as an undisciplined player with a rough attitude, most notably fights with two of his teammates. In 2004, Baker and linebackerChuck Winters got involved in two separate fights which were later resolved with a handshake. In 2005, a sideline fight between Baker and kickerNoel Prefontaine ensued on the sidelines during a game inCalgary. On August 3, 2006, coachPinball Clemons kept Baker from entering a game in the first half against theMontreal Alouettes for disciplinary reasons. He was later released by the Argonauts on August 8, 2006. He was claimed off waivers by theWinnipeg Blue Bombers on August 11, 2006, but did not report to the team. On August 22, 2006, Baker announced his retirement from professional football to pursue a career in rap music under the recording nameShake Severs.[1]
Baker was stopped for a traffic violation in Georgia on January 20, 2013. Police say they found 59.5 grams of heroin and a semi-automatic pistol in his car. He pleaded guilty in October 2013[2] to federal heroin trafficking and firearms charges, and he was sentenced to six years and three months in prison.[3]