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- Mar 19, 2019
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Giants rookie Corey Ballentine took another step in his physical and emotional recovery from a shooting that injured him and killed his friend.
Ballentine visited the team’s facility for the first time since the Giants made him a sixth-round choice, Art Stapleton of northjersey.com reports.
The Washburn cornerback is expected to return home before beginning offseason work with the team Monday, per Stapleton.
“For something like that to happen to a young man on one of the most exciting days of his life and to have his best friend killed, that’s got to be a lot,” Giants defensive backs coach Everett Withers said of Ballentine on Wednesday. “The organization has done a really good job of helping him through the process. It’s going to be a process for him. But we’re excited about getting him. When you watch him on tape, you don’t see a Division II player. You see a talented football player that can run, jump, cover.”
Only hours after learning the Giants drafted him April 28, Ballentine was the victim of a shooting outside an off-campus party. A bullet struck Ballentine in the glute. Ballentine’s college teammate, Dwane Simmons, was killed.
Simmons’ funeral was last Saturday.