Just hours after being selected in the NFL Draft by the New York Giants, cornerback Corey Ballentine was injured and a former teammate was killed in a Kansas shooting incident.
Washburn University president Jerry Farley said that Ballentine, a senior, was hurt but expected to make a full recovery while junior Dwane Simmons, also on the school's American football team, was killed in the off-campus incident early Sunday morning near the Topeka school.
"Any time we lose a student it is a sad occasion, but it is particularly poignant to lose a student through such a senseless act," 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 beginning of Corey's professional career."
Ballentine was taken by the Giants on Saturday in the sixth round of the annual talent allocation process, picked 180th overall.
"We are aware of the tragic situation and continue to gather information. We have spoken to Corey and he is recovering in the hospital," the Giants said in a statement.
"Our thoughts are with Dwane Simmons' family, friends and teammates and the rest of the Washburn community."
Washburn's gridiron program competes at the Division II level, one step below the larger colleges that produce most NFL talent, although the Ichabods have produced three NFL players in the past 12 seasons. (Agence France-Presse)