[ad_1]
Saturday afternoon, Corey Ballentine was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, a feat for a player at a Division II school located in Topeka, Kansas.
Early the next morning, Ballentine and a close friend and a teammate of the Washburn University football team were involved in a shootout that resulted in the death of Dwane Simmons and a gunshot wound in Ballentine regarded as not putting his life in danger.
Ballentine should recover completely.
According to WIBW in Topeka, officers responded Sunday around 12:45 pm at 1400 block of 13th Street in Topeka after reports of gunfire. Reports indicate that Simmons, 23, died on the street from a gunshot wound. Ballentine, 23, was taken to a hospital in the area.
"We are aware of the tragic situation and continue to gather information," said the Giants in a statement released by the team. "We talked to Corey and he goes back to the hospital. Our thoughts are with Dwane Simmons' family, friends and teammates and the rest of the Washburn community. "
At 3 pm press conference at Washburn University, scheduled for Ballentine to discuss drafting by the giants, was postponed.
Dr. Jerry Farley, president of Washburn University, in a statement to the university community, said, "We come to you this morning with sad and difficult news. Early this morning, two of our students were victims of a shootout off campus. Dwane Simmons, a junior and a member of the football team, was killed in the incident. In addition, Corey Ballentine, an elder, was injured. Ballentine should recover completely.
"Every time we lose a student, it's a sad occasion, but it's particularly moving to lose a student by such an insane act. Dwane and Corey were excellent examples and representatives of the football team and Washburn University in general. It was a terrible way to end a day that should have been a day of celebration and waiting for Dwane's next year in Washburn and the beginning of Corey's professional career. "
Ballentine was the 180th player in the repechage.
"It was surreal," he said Saturday after receiving the call of the Giants. "I'm sure you've heard a lot about it, but it's something I've always dreamed about. That took me to the moment I was recruited at the university and I told my coaches that it was something I wanted to do, I wanted to go to the NFL. We were all laughing and when the time came, I got the call from the Giants of New York. It's just surreal because I did not know how I was going to do it, I knew I wanted to do it, I just did not know how. Now that the moment is here, I really try to hold him back. "
Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman, explaining why he chose a player from a small school, said: "Corey Ballentine, he is 5-10, he weighs 196 pounds. He has ball skills, he played nickel, he played on the outside. How do you do it?
[ad_2]
Source link