Former Giant Brandon Marshall Reveals Advice He Tried to Give Eli Apple

Brandon Marshall and Eli Apple were once Giants teammates, and Marshall, a veteran receiver, said he tried to help the young cornerback in practice when he was struggling.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Feb 16, 2022 8:00 AM EST

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Cincinnati Bengals

Like over 112.3 million spectators, former NFL receiver and one-time Giant Brandon Marshall tuned into the Super Bowl, including a glimpse of the play in which Bengals cornerback Eli Apple gave up the outside route to Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp on what would be the game-winning touchdown pass that helped deny the Bengals their first-ever Super Bowl championship.

And Marshall, who used to practice every day against Apple when they were both with the Giants, shared how Apple seemed to rebuke his advice when they were with the Giants.

Appearing on Inside the NFL, Marshall said he tried to offer tips to help Apple, the Giants' first-round pick in the 2016 draft, be the best he could be.

Here's what Marshall, who was teammates with Apple in 2017, said during Tuesday's edition of Inside the NFL.

Do you know how many times I practiced against Eli Apple and said, ‘Bro, going against a number one receiver, if you give us the outside release, it’s the easiest thing in the world.’ I used to argue with him every single day playing with the Giants like, ‘Man, I’m trying to help you.’ ... This is a history lesson on humility. Keep your mouth shut, play ball. Then you go to the Super Bowl, and you have a couple of penalties, give up a couple of touchdowns. You can’t do that. You need to listen to the vets. So all the other young people watching – learn from Eli Apple.

That apparently wasn't the first time Marshall tried to help Apple. In 2017, the young cornerback went down a path of self-destruction that landed him in hot water with the team, resulting in a late-season suspension.

Marshall, in trying to show compassion to Apple, told the New York Post at the time that he wanted to help the youngster deal with his issues.

Like so many other guys in this locker room that were Atlas, the guy who's holding up the world, you're holding up your family and everybody around. What that does to a person, especially a young kid, fresh out of college with no life experiences, that can break people down. … That's what I saw when I read that story--a guy that's really struggling off the field and having a tough time being a professional every single day when he comes to work. He's a phenomenal athlete. He's a good person. He's just going through some things right now. So with the proper approach and the right people around him, he can get his career back on track.

The Giants traded Apple midway through the 2018 season to the New Orleans Saints. Apple has since been with the Saints, Panthers, and Bengals. Marshall is retired.