The 2017 season has been rough for the New York Giants, but especially for second-year cornerback Eli Apple.
The 2016 first-round draft pick was reportedly ripped during a heated film session amid the losing streak that helped jettison coach Ben McAdoo, nearly walked out on his team two different times and then -- knowingly or unknowingly -- threw shade at Landon Collins, his teammate in the secondary.
Now, the much-maligned young corner is hoping to return to the field for the Giants after four weeks on the inactive list and, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, a fine from his team for tweeting from the sidelines in Week 14.
"Everybody has to pay for any mistake they make," Apple told Raanan, who noted the Giants cornerback "would only say the matter was handled in-house."
The second-year defensive back, who started 11 games as a rookie out of Ohio State, understood before tweeting that he was violating an NFL rule, according to Raanan. The Giants, however, were not required to fine Apple for the infraction.
The financial repercussions of the tweets, which Apple posted as an inactive player during the Giants' 30-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, have not been disclosed. One of the tweets he sent was reportedly a post about him being healthy -- a contrast to the Giants' injury report, which listed Apple with hip and back ailments earlier in the week.
