Giants Draft Pick Corey Ballentine Shot Hours After Draft: School

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — New York Giants draft pick Corey Ballentine went from the ultimate high to nearly losing his life Saturday.

Ballentine was injured in an off-campus shooting, said Washburn University President Jerry Farley said.

Dwane Simmons, a junior and a member of the football team, along with Ballentine, was killed in the incident, Farley said in a statement to the university community Sunday morning. Washburn University is a NCAA Division II school in Topeka, Kansas.

Ballentine is 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 binning of Corey's professional career," Farley said.

Ballentine thanked the Giants for believing in him.

"It's all a crazy dream until you do it. I can't even explain the emotions I have right now," Ballentine said on Twitter.com. "[Shoutout] to the people that whole me to pick a more realistic career. This is as real as it gets. Thank you to the Giants organization for believing in me."

In a video posted to the Giants' website, Ballentine told head coach Pat Shurmur he was happy to join the team.

"I'm glad to be a part of this franchise. I've been waiting on this opportunity for a lifetime really," Ballentine told Shurmur. "I'm glad to be even a part of the conversation. I'm definitely ready to start learning and being around the guys and being around you guys."

"Well, you're not in the conversation," Shurmur said, "you're in the locker room now."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com