football

Washburn Football Player Killed, Giants Draft Pick Hurt in Shooting

The Giants' sixth-round draft pick, Corey Ballentine, was hurt in an off-campus shooting in Kansas just hours after he was named to the team, the university president said. 

Ballentine's friend, 23-year-old Dwane Simmons, was killed in the shooting, said Washburn University President Jerry Farley. Simmons, a junior, was also on the football team. 

Ballentine, 23, was expected to make a full recovery, Farley said. 

"This was a terrible way to end a day which should have been a day of celebration and a day to look forward to Dwane’s upcoming year at Washburn and the beginning of Corey’s professional career," he said in a statement. 

The Giants tweeted that they were aware of the "tragic situation" and had spoken to Ballentine in the hospital. 

Ballentine, a cornerback and return man, is a senior at the school in Topeka, where he grew up. After he was picked in the draft, he tweeted his thanks to the Giants:

"It’s all a crazy dream until you do it. I can’t even explain the emotions I have right now. S/o the people that told me to pick a more realistic career. This is as real as it gets. Thank you to the Giants organization for believing in me. It’s only up from here. #GiantsPride," he wrote. 

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