The New York Giants used the No. 10 overall pick in last year’s draft on former Ohio State star Eli Apple, and you have to wonder if they regret that decision.
Apple has had a tumultuous season with the Giants this year. He seemingly had problems with former head coach Ben McAdoo, and that may have spilled over with interim coach Steve Spagnuolo. On Sunday, Apple was inactive for his fourth consecutive game. He still managed to make headlines, however, as he sent a couple of tweets during the game, one of which praised former Ohio State teammate Rod Smith for scoring an 81-yard touchdown. Smith was one of New York’s opponents that day, as the tweets came during a 30-10 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
On Monday, Spagnuolo said he was “disappointed” in Apple.
“I had a conversation with Eli about that. I was disappointed,” the coach said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “I told him I was disappointed. We’ll decide exactly what we do with it. He apologized. We move on from that.”
Apple has been going through some personal issues off the field, as his mother recently underwent brain surgery. However, there have been reports that he is not getting along with the Giants’ coaching staff, and he is said to have stormed out of a film session and threatened to walk out on the team after his play was criticized recently. Apple has been inactive for four straight games, and Spagnuolo said the most recent was a result of the 22-year-old not getting enough reps in practice.
According to Raanan, Apple is not in good standing with the Giants. One source told the reporter Apple is “disliked” within the organization, with another describing the young defensive back as “being in the doghouse.”
It’s tough to judge Apple during a season in which the Giants have been horrible and multiple players have faced internal discipline, but there’s no denying his pro career has been a disappointment early on.
