Giants fans will certainly look back at cornerback Eli Apple’s tenure with New York with great affection.
The 10th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, firmly known among Giants fans as a draft bust, built a decent career for himself after leaving New York.
“Chaos is something I knew from being in the Media Storm in New York. So when I arrived in New Orleans, the media wasn’t that ruthless when I got there. It was even more gentle for me.” Apple said in a Q&A using ReadWrite’s Kyle Odegard.
However, Apple didn’t blame the atmosphere for all the troubles of his giants.
“You’re the young man coming in, so you’re trying to balance everything and play Superman,” Apple said. “It’s difficult at times… that was my mistake and I was trying to overdo it.”
Apple also mentioned family troubles during his tenure in New York. His mother, Annie Apple, undergoes brain surgery and divorces her husband, Tim.
“A lot of things with my family were finally made public and it was clear,” Apple said. “It played with my peace and my emotions. I think it couldn’t focus and ended up running to the field.”
Whether or not this issue has come to an end, poor play and drama with teammates also played a major role in Apple’s New York failure.
“I was a very young and hot kid. At various points, I felt a lot of the responsibility that the season was like it was heading towards me,” Apple said. “It was something I didn’t appreciate… an explosion.
Despite the rocky start of his career, Apple ousted a nine-year NFL career and played for five other teams. He is currently a free agent.
He was asked if he wanted his giants to have a different term.
“Of course, yeah… but I don’t think you regret all the beauty, but you know that you have to learn from those mistakes and go through it,” Apple said.
“I think it all happened for a reason. I’m very grateful to be drafted by the Giants and get the opportunity to do that. It was amazing. During that time I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about the people near me.
