It has been a brutal year for the New York Giants and, on the eve of the season finale, the team has a dismal 2-13 record that accurately represents the type of on-field product on display. However, there are apparently issues that move beyond the playing field and, on Tuesday, they came to light in strange way.
Just hours after he suffered a season-ending fractured forearm, Giants safety Landon Collins hopped on the radio with The Michael Kay Show (hosted by Bob Wischusen) on 98.7 FM ESPN in New York and delivered an eyebrow-raising quote about teammate Eli Apple. In short, New York’s only Pro Bowl selection called his teammate and fellow defensive back “a cancer” for the world to hear.
“There’s one corner that has to establish [himself] and needs to grow, and we all know who that is. That would be the only person I would change out of our secondary group. The other two guys — DRC [Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie] and Jack Rabbit [Janoris Jenkins] — I love those two guys. They play hard. They love what they do. But, that first pick, he’s a cancer.”
Jordan Raanan of ESPN sheds additional light on what is clearly a contentious relationship between the teammates and the weirdness is further illustrated by Apple receiving no defensive playing time in the team’s Week 16 loss. That may not seem overly strange outside of the fact that Apple was a first round pick in 2016 and, after a lot of on-field team as a rookie, he has disappeared amid disciplinary measures and general benching.
Obviously, one player calling another “a cancer” like this is not something that happens every day, and it’s even more bizarre that the two are teammates. Given the recent on-field performance of both players, it would be something of a surprise if the Giants sided with Apple over Collins in this instance. Regardless, the fallout will be quite intriguing and this is yet another story for Giants fans to monitor as a pivotal offseason arrives.
