Just one day after Landon Collins publicly expressed his opinion that teammate Eli Apple is a "cancer" who "needs to grow up," Apple's half-brother, Dane Blackson, is coming to his defense.

The Giants cornerback continues to be at the center of drama with the Giants this season, with the latest being a suspension for "behavior that is conduct detrimental to the team" as his season comes to an end early.

However, despite what Collins said earlier, Blackson says it's their mother, Annie Apple, who is the real "cancer" in his life.

"I feel like when people say Eli's like a cancer ... I just think of mom," Blackson told TMZ Sports. "I feel like he never had a fair shot. I mean, a lot of this sh-- that you could be judging him on, there's really a master behind him pulling the strings. So, as far as Eli being the cancer, I don't really see Eli being the cancer more than I see mom being the cancer and him not being able to distance himself."

This isn't the first time Blackson has spoken out about their family issues. Last week, he told NJ Advance Media that some of Apple's spirals have been as a result of "an abrupt falling out" between his mother and stepfather, Tim Apple, leading to a divorce.

"One of the biggest reasons Eli is declining so much this year as opposed to last year is (Tim's absence)," Blackson said. "I know everyone always talks about the fame and all of the attention and how all of that can go to your head.

"But you have to imagine that from middle school to the NFL, Tim was there. Tim made this whole thing happen. Tim didn't miss a game. Whenever Eli looked for that support, that was always there. Now, this year whenever he goes to look for support, it's not real, it's not genuine."

Blackson also indicated that he is hoping his brother will cut out his mother before she completely kills his NFL career