NFL Legend & Super Bowl XLVI Champion Victor Cruz On His Life Beyond The Football Field

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 TRUE CHAMPION: CELEBRATED NFL LEGEND AND SUPER BOWL XLVI CHAMPION VICTOR CRUZ HAS MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF BEYOND THE FOOTBALL FIELD AND HE’S NOT STOPPING ANYTIME SOON.

BY ADRIENNE FAUROTE
PHOTOGRAPHY GLEN DANDRIDGE JR.
STYLIST BRITTANY HAMPTON
GROOMING JOANNA SIMKIN, THE WALL GROUP
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT CAMILLE TEODORO
STYLIST ASSISTANT QUINTON JACKSON
SHOT ON LOCATION AT SOFITEL LOS ANGELES AT BEVERLY HILLS

Victor Cruz’s energy is infectious. It is so infectious that you can sense it from nearly 3,000 miles away through a simple phone call. His charisma is woven into his every word, and he exudes a zest for life that is hard to go unnoticed. For Cruz, life is all about celebrating moments — and there is undeniably a lot for the former NFL wide receiver and Super Bowl XLVI champion to celebrate.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cruz winning the Super Bowl alongside the New York Giants, and with Super Bowl LVI quickly approaching, he can’t help but feel nostalgic. “The thoughts [of nostalgia] definitely come back every year around this time, but to celebrate the 10-year anniversary this year is incredible,” admits Cruz. To commemorate the win ten years ago, Cruz reunited with his Giants teammates Eli Manning, Antrel Rolle, and Justin Tuck in October during a game this season. “It was so great to see all of the guys again and reminisce about the time and how we felt in those moments. Even just to see it’s Super Bowl LVI when I played in Super Bowl XLVI, I stop and think: Ten years have passed by that quickly?”

Remembering the day like it was yesterday, Cruz recalls the moment the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2011 down to every last detail. “To win it with my hometown team, the New York Giants, and with my family members along for the journey in the stands watching me play — I wouldn’t change a thing,” he says. “And, with my daughter born about two-and-a-half weeks before the game, I was about to explode from all of the things that were happening to me at the ripe age of 25. It was one of the best moments — and best years — of my entire life.” 

Photo Credit: Glen Dandridge Jr.

At the young age of 25, Cruz accomplished the feat of a lifetime, reaching milestones he could never have anticipated on the first day he stepped onto the field as a New York Giant. “[I will never forget] my first game as a Giant. Going out on the football field and wearing the name Cruz on my back with my mom rooting for me way up in the stands, squinting down at the field to see if she could see me, was such a good feeling,” says Cruz. He scored three touchdowns that game, making a name for himself on the football field.

Surprisingly, Cruz thought he wanted to be a basketball player as a child. Growing up in a single-parent household, Cruz was kept extremely busy by his mother. “[My mom] knew she had to keep a young, rambunctious, energetic boy occupied with something, so I was in karate, baseball, and basketball.” Football didn’t enter the picture until Cruz was a little older, around 11 years old, as he played center in a little league with his dad as one of the coaches on his team. It was his dad that saw his potential and insisted that the head coach try Cruz as a running back. “I remember my dad saying ‘Just give him the ball and see what he can do,’” recalls Cruz. So, he took the ball and gave it a try in his typical fashion— being unafraid of something new and taking it on full steam ahead. The second they gave him the ball, he split two defenders and ran 55 yards straight for a touchdown. 

“I looked up and was like, ‘oh maybe football is a thing,’” says Cruz. “That was the moment I thought, I think I can do this, I belong here.”

Cruz did indeed belong on the football field. Beating the odds of being undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, yet signed as a free agent the following day by the Giants, Cruz went on to score record-breaking touchdowns — followed by his signature salsa touchdown dance — and, of course, win the Super Bowl title.

Now, on the sidelines of this year’s big game, Cruz reveals who he thinks will win the championship —though it was a hard decision as he has friends and former teammates on all four of the remaining teams. “It is interesting that the Rams could potentially have two back-to-back home games to finish out their season; you just don’t see that opportunity often happen in the NFL. So I would like to see the Rams win,” admits Cruz. “They are kind of my sleeper pick — or dark horse — to win the Super Bowl.”  

For the final game, Cruz is predicting the Rams versus the Kansas City Chiefs. “Kansas City just looks like they’re not going to take no for an answer,” jokes Cruz. “It’s going to be fun to watch these next two games leading up to the Super Bowl. The playoffs are always fun — this is when you get really good football,” says Cruz.  

Though Cruz may not be dominating the football field anymore, he has had quite the last decade evolving his career and pushing himself to go above and beyond. 

The transition out of the sport is not always easy for some athletes, but Cruz approached the change with his same infectious energy and can-do attitude. “In the beginning, when I first retired, it was a little difficult,” he explains. “It was not necessarily transitioning, but more so shifting my mind from football being my identity for so many years. I began having the same question marks I had when I [first] entered the game of football, like, Is this for me? Am I going to like this? — and so on. It’s the same questions when venturing off into new things post-career. I had to ask myself things like, am I a TV host? Am I good at hosting? Are people receptive to who I am? I’ve always been someone who has never been afraid to try new things and to see if I’m good at something without being afraid of the results.”

Cruz began to build confidence in his evolution beyond the sport, and it was his first job at ESPN as an NFL analyst that catapulted his career. “ESPN became a crash course to everything I wanted to post-career,” reveals Cruz. “I needed to understand what it was like being in front of the camera and on live television. NFL Live was one of the most influential shows, and it not only helped me move forward but also helped me with things I’m doing now.”

Former NFL players Nate Burleson and Michael Strahan have been sources of inspiration for Cruz as he navigates his post-career life in understanding how they have managed to balance their careers. “Those two guys are [men] I really look up to,” admits Cruz. “But I then find my own lane within what they are doing. And, I like where I have gotten to at this moment.”

For Cruz, his experiences — both on and off the field — have proven to be invaluable in his journey, and he’s just getting started. Today he’s working on a handful of projects (some that cannot yet be revealed but be prepared to see him dipping his toes into acting this year), from television hosting and game show appearances to producing his own pilots and even fashion collaborations. In fact, he just released his second collaboration with renowned French brand and pioneer of luxury footwear, Pierre Hardy. Together, Cruz and Hardy dropped a new limited-edition men’s sneaker in four colorways that embody powerful stories that use art to make an impact.

Photo Credit: Glen Dandridge Jr.

Photo Credit: Glen Dandridge Jr.

“Pierre is one of the greatest human beings in the world,” says Cruz. “I have been visiting his showroom in Paris for many years, and after about three years, I mentioned to him that I wanted to collaborate, and he immediately loved the idea.” As Cruz does, he put his heart into this project, and you can see it in the final design.

Fashion has always been an integral part of Cruz’s life. “I think my relationship with fashion came from my dad,” he recalls. “I remember him coming to pick me up one time wearing a tan linen outfit with the shirt open and suspenders — and I remember thinking, even at the age of 11, this is an incredibly dope look.” For Cruz, his style is a blend of his dad’s and New Age style, and he does not shy away from trying different styles, patterns, or color palettes.

“I think fashion is always changing; it’s what you make of it, and there are no wrong answers. I always try and stay on the edge of my own personal style,” says Cruz. 

Just a few days before our cover photoshoot, Cruz was in Paris at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Show, which marked the last collection designed by creative genius and industry changemaker Virgil Abloh. “Being there was a little bittersweet. You understand how much of a genius [Abloh] was and how he looked at the world with such a different scope, and for him to no longer be with us is just unfortunate and a devastating loss to the entire fashion world,” says Cruz. “But entering the show, there was a lot of energy — people understood and wanted to celebrate him. They wanted to be joyous in this moment.” 

Cruz and Abloh embody the same sentiment: Life is meant to be celebrated. And, similar to Abloh, Cruz has used fashion as a mechanism to spark joy.

He has fully immersed himself in the fashion industry, becoming a style icon. He hints at wanting to start his own brand one day. But, for Cruz, knowledge is power — an important lesson we can all be reminded of. “I want to continue to collaborate with different brands and people in the industry to continue to learn. I want to learn what it is to make a brand or a capsule collection and what the time and effort looks like.” 

Cruz is undoubtedly someone who has an appetite for growth and learning new things. Perhaps what has set him apart is his unwavering dedication to evolve and always having a fearless attitude that poses the question of why not—and now, he gets to pass it on.

Cruz and his 10-year-old daughter Kennedy are the ultimate testaments to the popular phase “the apple does not fall far from the tree.” The two share the same joie de vivre toward life, and when it comes to fashion, Cruz has become Kennedy’s go-to in the family for all things fashion-related. Just last year, Kennedy walked as a model in the first-ever American Girl fashion show in New York. “What I love about [Kennedy] is she is fearless. She does not have a shy bone in her body. She was so excited to be out there walking the runway — she has so much energy, and I love that,” explains Cruz. Sound familiar? “I want to continue to nurture that and hone in on that energy,” he says. 

Photo Credit: Glen Dandridge Jr.

Being a girl dad is a reward like no other for Cruz. Though he grew up with two sisters, fathering a daughter is entirely different. Finding the balance between having a certain sense of sternness while also having a soft, empathetic side — and the power of patience — has taught Cruz who he is as a father. 

“Whether [Kennedy] is crying, she is happy about something, or I need to teach her a life lesson, there is always something to learn and something to teach. That is where I am getting the most joy,” he reveals. “Being able to teach someone who looks like me, talks like me, and acts like me is the best part of being a girl dad.” 

As a father, entrepreneur and television host, Cruz’s early football career has forever impacted his mindset. And while it has been a decade since Cruz took the Super Bowl champion title, and nearly four years since he officially retired his jersey, he has certainly not stopped being a champion. Yet, there is one key element he’s never forgotten from the football field: preparation.

“[Preparation] is the biggest thing that people don’t see in the game of football to the naked eye unless you are in those locker room meetings with your teammates,” explains Cruz. “You have to be prepared each and every week with a high level of attention to detail for just one game. That’s something I take with me each and every day — whether it is a photoshoot or even being a dad preparing to leave the house: preparation is key.”