New York Giants sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine was shot just a few hours after being drafted and although he is expected to make a full recovery, he will not be at the teams rookie minicamp.
Ballentine was released from the hospital on Tuesday but the team told him to stay in Kansas and celebrate the life of Ballentine’s friend and Washburn teammate Dwane Simmons who was shot and killed during the same incident.
#NYG Corey Ballentine will not be at Rookie camp. NYG say they have “encouraged Corey to stay in Kansas to be with his family and friends as they mourn the loss and celebrate the life of his good friend and teammate Dwane Simmons. Corey will be with us when it’s appropriate.”
— Kim Jones (@KimJonesSports) May 1, 2019
Ballentine is the highest draft pick ever to come out of Washburn Unversity and he was celebrating with friends early Sunday morning in Topeka, Kansas when gunfire broke out. According to Simons father, someone drove up and asked if they had a smoke which the friends said no to. They drove away and came back later and started firing.
Article Continues Below“Some guys rolled up and asked if they had some smoke or something else for sale,” Simmons said via Fox News. “Dwane and Corey said ‘no' and they just drove off and came back around and opened fire. And killed Dwane, and we're just left in many broken pieces.”
Ballentine posted a tribute to his friend on Twitter thanking him for letting him be apart of his life.
“God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. I love you forever,” Ballentine said.
“Thank you for being a true friend who uplifted me, corrected me when I was in the wrong, and accepted my flaws. Thank you for being a brother to me. Thank you for letting me experience your life,” he tweeted.
https://twitter.com/cbxiii__/status/1122949645116821505