Corey Ballentine will not attend Giants' rookie minicamp
Washburn defensive back Corey Ballentine runs a drill at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on March 4. Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
Corey Ballentine, the Giants draft pick who was shot just hours after he was selected by the team, will not attend the rookie minicamp that begins on Thursday in New Jersey.
“We have encouraged Corey to stay in Kansas this week to be with his family and friends as they mourn the loss and celebrate the life of his good friend and teammate Dwane Simmons,” the Giants said in a statement.
Simmons, 23, was shot and killed in the same incident that left Ballentine wounded. Simmons was a teammate and roommate of Ballentine’s at Washburn University. A funeral service for Simmons is scheduled to be held on Saturday in Simmon’s hometown of Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
Ballentine was hit in the glute in the shooting that took place near the Washburn campus in Topeka, Kansas, shortly after midnight on Sunday morning. He was released from the hospital later that day. While he is physically able to join the team this weekend, he and the Giants felt it more appropriate for Ballentine to remain home for the time being.
“Corey will be with us when it’s appropriate,” the Giants statement said.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
