Victor Cruz has admitted regret for an infamous photo taken of him and other Giants receivers ahead of playoff loss in 2016. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Victor Cruz: Giants boat trip photo 'will haunt me for the rest of my life'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Apr 29, 2020 4:15 PM ET

One of the most famous pictures of former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz during his tenure with the club is now a moment he regrets.

Before Big Blue faced Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in a January 2017 playoff game, Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr., and other New York players took their talents to South Beach for a brief vacation. A photo of what became an infamous "boat trip" showing Cruz, OBJ, and others went viral before the game, and New York players came under scrutiny after Green Bay notched a 25-point win.

So OBJ, Sterling Shepard, Victor Cruz, and Roger Lewis flew to Miami last night, went clubbing, and are on a boat. Living life. #Giants pic.twitter.com/SE6QqfuYfT
— Justin Witmondt (@JustinWitmondt) January 2, 2017

Cruz addressed the situation while speaking with E!’s “Pop of the Morning” earlier this week:

"This photo will haunt me for the rest of my life," Cruz admitted.

"It was right after a game, and we were just about to go into the playoffs, and although we had the day off, we went to Miami, we had a good time, it was New Year’s Day, we came back the next day, didn’t break any rules."

Cruz's cause wasn't helped by the fact that he, Beckham, and other members of the New York offense not named Eli Manning were largely no-shows versus the Packers. Cruz was held to three catches. OBJ dropped multiple passes, including what should've been a touchdown:

As Bernie Augustine of The Daily News wrote, Cruz expressed regret regarding the Miami trip during a January 2017 appearance on the "Timeout with Taylor Rooks" podcast.

"Looking back on it, it definitely wasn't worth it," Cruz said.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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