Former NFL player Chris Baker says he only wants to help athletes at his alma mater get college scholarships. But the school’s administration says he’s not going about it the right way and Baker, who graduated from Windsor High School in 2004, has been banned from all football-related activities at the school, including games.
Baker, who played for four different teams in the NFL over nine years, posted on Instagram that he is holding a press conference to talk about the situation on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Windsor Board of Education.
“The (police) came to my house to tell me not to come to the game and if I came to the game, it would be enough to warrant an arrest for trespassing,” Baker said on Sunday.
Baker, who played football at Penn State and Hampton University, said he has been trying to help student-athletes at Windsor High School get scholarships and that he has connections to help.
“Every kid at Windsor High School should be able to get their film in front of any college they want to – we have the resources to make that happen,” Baker said Sunday. “I don’t have a business; I just have connections and I’m willing to use my connections to help kids.”
Baker said that football players with whom he had been working told him they would get punished and lose playing time.
Baker received a letter from Windsor High principal Breon Parker on Sept. 15 that Baker posted on his Facebook page, stating that Baker had been formally advised he was “not permitted on the football field during games or practices.”
“That directive was issued due to repeated conduct that undermined the authority of the coaching staff, interfered with the team’s philosophy and instruction and raised concerns regarding compliance with CIAC regulations,” the letter said.
Despite that, the letter stated, during the week of Sept. 8, Baker went to football practice and took video without permission, was on the sideline during a game without permission and went into the locker room and took video of students without permission.
Baker was on the sidelines at the season opener Sept. 12 between Windsor and Torrington.
“We welcome alumni involvement, but it must occur within established school policies and in accordance with the rules of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, (CIAC), which are designed to protect student-athletes and ensure proper oversight of our programs,” Noha Abdel-Hady, the acting Windsor superintendent of schools, said in an email Sunday. “Any coach or volunteer within our school system must be properly vetted and must comply with CIAC rules.
“Mr. Chris Baker has not been vetted or approved as a coach or volunteer coach, and he has repeatedly disregarded these rules by entering restricted areas, directing players outside of sanctioned practices, and videotaping students without authorization. Despite multiple meetings and opportunities to work through proper channels, Mr. Baker has not complied with directives.
“For these reasons, Mr. Baker has been instructed not to participate in any football-related activities.”
Abdel-Hady added that the school administrators were willing to discuss the directive with Baker, but “he has rejected our invitation to meet in a respectful and professional manner to discuss whether and how he can participate appropriately in the football program at Windsor High School.”
Baker, who played for the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay from 2009-2018 and has his framed Redskins jersey in the Windsor High gym, has offered camps and clinics in Windsor over the years.
He stated in an Instagram post about the press conference: “Baker and former recent alumni will be discussing the frustrations and mismanagement of student-athletes in Windsor that led Baker to offering pro-bono consulting in order to assist student athletes navigate the college application process and student athlete scholarship challenges.”
“I’ve always done this,” Baker said Sunday. “They just made an issue now. What’s the issue when you’re trying to help kids get into school?”