Michael Conroy/Associated Press
When Corey Ballentine, a speedy cornerback with a knack for blocking kicks, was drafted by the Giants on Saturday, it was cause for celebration at Washburn University in Kansas. No member of the Division II Washburn Ichabods had been drafted in more than a decade, and none had gone earlier in the draft since 1988.
“It’s all a crazy dream until you do it,” Ballentine said in a Twitter post after he was selected in the sixth round. “I can’t even explain the emotions I have right now.”
Just hours later, Ballentine’s triumph took on a tragic note when he and a college teammate, Dwane Simmons, were shot a few blocks from Washburn’s Topeka campus.