Giants Suspend Eli Apple For Week 17

A historically tumultuous season for Giants cornerbacks will end with a third being suspended for a game. The Giants suspended Eli Apple for Week 17, the team announced.

This comes a day after Landon Collins publicly referred to the second-year corner as “a cancer.” Steve Spagnuolo met with Collins and Apple today in what was called a “really productive” summit, one that included a Collins apology. But the Giants banned Apple nonetheless. He received the news in a meeting with Spagnuolo and interim GM Kevin Abrams.

We have suspended Eli for a pattern of behavior that is conduct detrimental to the team,” Abrams said.

This pattern of behavior looks to have produced a final-straw moment Wednesday. ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan and Dan Graziano report Apple argued with coaches, including cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, at practice. That argument looks to have been catalyzed by Apple’s refusal to take the field with the Giants’ scout team, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (Twitter link). Apple was already arguing unspecified matters with coaches prior to refusing the scout-team assignment, Garofolo tweets. This wasn’t the first argument between Apple and Walton, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv (on Twitter).

Apple played only on special teams in Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, ceding his spot to less-heralded cogs — and first-year Giants — Brandon Dixon and Ross Cockrell. The Ohio State product started in seven games this season after opening with the first unit 11 times as a rookie. He finished with exactly the same amount of tackles as last season (49) and recovered two fumbles as well. Pro Football Focus slotted Apple as its No. 73 full-time corner this season, putting him fourth among Giants.

The Giants surprised many by taking Apple No. 10 overall in 2016, with Big Blue eschewing an offensive line need to take a corner in spite of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins‘ statuses. Now, Apple follows in their footsteps by incurring a one-game suspension. Ben McAdoo suspended the starting duo at different junctures this season before being fired.

Apple and Collins would not have shared the field this weekend because Collins is now out for the year due to injury. The defensive backs’ beef goes back to at least to a point earlier this month, when Collins had to be restrained from going after Apple inside the team facility. A report in November also indicated Apple nearly left the Giants’ facility because of a film-room session featuring harsh critiques from teammates and coaches. Apple’s mother also underwent brain surgery this fall, and the second-year defender was given time off because of it.

(Landon and I) had a quick conversation this morning and then I had a quick conversation with Eli,” Spagnuolo said about the aforementioned summit involving himself and the two at-odds defensive backs. “And then all three of us had a really good conversation and it was very productive and I’ll just leave it at that. It’s between them and they were really great.”

One of several Ohio State corners to be first-round picks in recent years, Apple is under contract through 2019.

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