Odell Beckham Jr. is now giving lessons on how to avoid controversy.
On Monday morning, the outspoken wide receiver publicly called out troubled cornerback Eli Apple for engaging with Twitter trolls late Sunday.
“Brooooo I kno it feels good to tell these ppl off, trust me I would love nothin more than to do the same. But don’t waste ur time on these ppl, half the ppl don’t even have real accounts. Stop bro, ur better than that. U weren’t… and I wasn’t… good enough this year,” Beckham tweeted to Apple.
“Just hear me out… it’s really not worth it,” he continued. “Please bro, this what they want…. back to the drawin board. Let’s get it!”
Apple replied, “I’m chillin I promise.” The 22-year-old had opened the Twitter floodgates in issuing a poignant statement about how he’s perceived publicly.
“I’d rather be hated than loved cause the love was always fake keep that hate coming tho y’all gonna see the real me this yr,” Apple posted, along with an emoji with zipped lips and a devil face.
Apple’s disappointing second year with the Giants included several off-field infractions, including a highly publicized beef with teammate Landon Collins, who called Apple a “cancer.” The 2016 first-round selection was suspended for the final game of the year after mouthing off to coaches.
With the Giants expected to hire a new coach within the coming weeks, new general manager Dave Gettleman already has made it clear he won’t tolerate “bulls–t.” Gettleman said he met with Apple last week and offered him a clean slate.
It remains to be seen, though, if Apple is a part of the team’s future plans.
“You don’t want to quit on talent,” co-owner John Mara said of Apple in December. “… He’s a young guy. I happen to like him personally. I’m obviously disturbed with what’s happened this year. I thought he had a terrific training camp and I was really excited about him as a player coming into this season.
“So I think we have to figure out what’s going on with him. But I’d like at the end of the day for him to be a part of this team’s future. But I think that’s going to have to be a discussion with whoever the next head coach is and with Dave as well.”
Beckham was sidelined most of the 2017 season with an ankle injury.