Giants' Eli Apple: Gets 'clean slate' from new coach

First-year Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said Wednesday that he will give Apple a "clean slate" for the upcoming campaign after the team suspended the 22-year-old for the 2017 season finale, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com reports.

Apple's team-imposed suspension was the nadir of a disastrous season for the second-year cornerback both on and off the field. In addition to getting benched for performance-related reasons during the second half of the season, Apple missed time to be with his mother while she recovered from brain surgery and drew the ire of both teammates and the coaching staff for his behavior in the locker room. With the Giants bringing in a new coach and general manager following the season, Apple should receive the opportunity to reestablish himself as a cornerstone player in the secondary, but it's still expected that he'll have to battle for a starting role in training camp.