Corey Ballentine might need “a little bit of time”

[Giant]

Corey Ballentine was not at the Giants’ minicamp on Friday, remaining home recovering from a gun shot wound.

Giants coach Pat Shurmur said he is “hopeful” Ballentine will join his new teammates when the rookies return May 13. Shurmur did not offer an update on Ballentine’s condition but said the cornerback is expected to fully recover.

“That is what they are saying, but it might take a little bit of time,” Shurmur said, via Michael Eisen of the team website.

The sixth-round pick from Washburn was with his college teammate and friend Dwane Simmons only hours after the Giants drafted him last weekend. Ballentine took a bullet in the glute and Simmons was killed in a drive-by shooting in Topeka, Kansas.

“I am really disappointed that he was the victim of a crime,” Shurmur said. “He is a great young man. We got to know him really well through the draft process. My son trained with him at EXOS, so I had some intimate knowledge of what a great young man he is. It is very unfortunate that he was a victim of a crime. That could happen to any of us. We are here for him. He is going through the vigils and the funeral, the things that he has to go through. We are here to support him as he comes back to us. We are just here for him. Thoughts and prayers go his way.”

The Giants encouraged Ballentine to stay in Kansas to mourn the loss of Simmons while also healing his physical wound.

“This is a unique situation,” Shurmur said. “We want him to get full closure on his end. We are sensitive to that. This is a real-life situation. We want to make sure he gets full closure. It is May. We play in September. We want to make sure he gets done on that end what he needs to and gets the help that he needs.”