New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple didn't have much success in his second year as a professional in 2017.
The former first-round pick (10th overall) of the 2016 draft found himself surrounded by controversy and at odds with the coaching staff and teammates.
He started just seven games before being suspended for the final regular-season game, and the experience left Apple with a horrific season to forget.
"Was I embarrassed? Of course," Apple told reporters Monday during media availability at the Giants' organized team activities. "Nobody wants to go out the way I went out. I mean, it was all over the place, so of course."
The relationships on the team in 2017 deteriorated to a point where safety Landon Collins categorized Apple as a "cancer" and a player that "needs to grow up." But the two have talked after those comments, and Apple said Monday that they now have a "great" relationship.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Apple has a clean slate under new general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur, and the cornerback should have a significant role on defense entering his third season.
Apple is thankful for the faith the team has placed in him, and he embraces a new opportunity as a changed player from the previous season.
"I'm just going to fine tune everything," Apple said. "Come in with a different attitude and just be positive out there on the field and just do everything that I can to make myself better as a player, and everybody else better as a team."
New York would welcome back the player it drafted in 2016, as the Giants finished the 2017 season ranked a dismal 31st against the pass.
A rejuvenated Apple would certainly contribute to a turnaround.
