New York Giants safety Landon Collins tweeted out an apology to teammate Eli Apple after calling him “a cancer” during an interview.
It was inevitable that this would happen, but Landon Collins has apologized to fellow New York Giants defensive back Eli Apple a day after calling him a cancer in a radio interview.
I met with Coach Spags and Eli this morning and I apologized for the things I said yesterday. I never stop supporting my brother/teammate Eli and the rest of my teammates as we move forward. Just want him to know I'm always here for him ?@EliApple13
— LANDON COLLINS (@TheHumble_21) December 27, 2017
It’s no secret that Apple has had a rough year, as have the Giants as a team. They have only won two games and struggled with injuries this season.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan quoted Collins as saying:
“There’s only just one corner that … needs to grow, and we all know who that is,” said Collins, one of the more popular players in the locker room. “That would be the only person I would change out of our secondary group. Besides, the other two guys, [Rodgers-Cromartie] and [Jenkins], I love those two guys. They play hard. They love what they do.
“But that first pick … he’s a cancer.”
Collins and Apple had a public disagreement about whether they’d spoken about Apple’s rough season a few weeks ago, with Apple disputing Collins’ claim that he spoke with Apple.
Regardless of how Collins, or the rest of the team for that matter, feel about Apple, Collins was wrong in making his issues with him public. Collins was right to walk it back, but it should have been done sooner than the next day.
Apple has had a rough season, both on and off the field, but the team invested the 10th overall pick on him in 2016 and would probably prefer to not have to waive him due to a dispute with a teammate.
If it comes down to it, there is no way that the team will pick Apple over Collins, who has shown himself to be a top-tier safety while Apple has struggled to adjust to the NFL. However, if Collins truly means what he tweeted, it is possible for the team to move on from both of them.
Teammates don’t always get along perfectly. It was wrong that this became public, but if Collins and Apple are both able to move on from this it will be ideal for all involved.
