New York Giants sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine made his first appearance at the team’s facility on Thursday, just short of two weeks after he was shot during an off-campus party on April 28th.
While Ballentine was lucky enough to survive without any major injuries, his friend and college teammate, Dwane Simmons, tragically lost his life in the shooting.
The rookie cornerback was told by the Giants to skip rookie minicamp in order to heal from his injury. Ballentine also attended Simmons’ funeral service in Kansas last Saturday.
On Thursday, Ballentine showed up to the Giants’ facility for the first time since being drafted by his new team. Here’s the latest from Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com.
Ballentine was not present at rookie minicamp last week, as the Giants advised he skip the camp to recover from his injury. The Giants were optimistic that Ballentine would join the team for the voluntary offseason program this Monday, but his arrival in East Rutherford took place earlier than anticipated.
Stapleton also notes that Ballentine is expected to return home for the time being, but will be back with the team next week for the voluntary offseason program, which starts on Monday.
The Washburn University product is expected to make a full recovery from his injury, and judging from his visit on Thursday, he seems to be moving in the right direction.
One can only imagine what Ballentine has been through these past few weeks. We certainly wish him the best as he recovers from both an injury and the loss of his close friend.
