Giants Rookie Will Hill Learns to Deal With Adversity and Prosperity EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Giants" bye week prompted a sigh of relief from most players, offering them the opportunity to rest body and mind. For Will Hill, an undrafted rookie safety, there was no such reaction. He has already had the game taken from him twice. Hill was a top recruit from Jersey City who went to the University of Florida but was suspended after his junior season for an unspecified violation of team rules. He declared for the 2011 draft but was not selected, partly as a result of questions about his character. The Giants signed him as a free agent before this season. But he was forced to sit out again, serving a four-game suspension until earlier this month for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. He said he took Adderall, which was prescribed by a doctor to help him deal with attention deficit disorder. On each occasion, Hill said the time away deepened his appreciation for the game. Last Sunday, he had a fumble recovery on a punt in a 31-13 loss to Cincinnati, his first game back. There's "nothing like being amongst your teammates and your coaches," he said before he was activated. He admits he once took that camaraderie for granted. Hill, an all-state performer as a quarterback, safety and kick returner in high school, led St. Peter's Prep to a three-year record of 34-2. Several scouting services had him rated as the top high school safety after his senior season, and he was recruited by seemingly every major college program. Lance Adams, 28, who attended Florida and has mentored Hill for the last six years, tried to warn him that such attention carried the potential for great harm. "I used to tell him that he would have to learn to deal with two things in life: adversity and prosperity," Adams said. Hill heard those words. He did not listen. "I just knew I was going to be that guy that made a lot of money," he said. I just did what I wanted to do. He acknowledged that the early accolades and the flattery that was part of recruiting turned out to be too much for him. "I was born into adversity, and for me to be successful at a young age, the prosperity was overwhelming," he said. I didn't know how to deal with it. I thought everything would be fine from that point forward. I never thought about things going downhill. He had 44 tackles as a freshman at Florida, but he failed to build on that initial success. He started 15 games for the Gators over his three-year career but had just four interceptions and one and a half sacks. "I think he lost focus," Adams said. Everything was going to be there for him. I don't think he had the right people around him to say, "Don't do this and don't do that." They hung around him because he had status. Hill said he did not always make the right choices at Florida, indulging in marijuana and enjoying the college night life. "I did smoke and things like that," he said. I did party a lot. That helped label me as a bad guy. When the draft came and went, he realized his questionable behavior had outweighed his talent. When he was snubbed by the N.F.L., he also saw those who had been clamoring to be around him fall away. "People use you because they see you as a meal ticket," he said. Hill, 22, is separated from his wife but is working to stay close to the four children he has fathered by three women. He trusts Adams's advice more than ever. Hill said he had cut ties with numerous family members he believed betrayed his trust. "You never know who is in your corner and who is not in your corner," he said. So I put everybody at a distance. He emphasized how focused he was on rebuilding his career. In limited duty in the five games he has played, he has showed a knack for making things happen with 10 tackles and 2 forced fumbles, along with the fumble recovery in Cincinnati. "I'm sure on tape, there are some things to correct, but he's done pretty well," said Coach Tom Coughlin, knowing it is too soon to tell whether Hill's career will be a cautionary tale or one with a happy ending.