Super Bowl Champion and actor/entertainer Victor Cruz joins The Pivot for a conversation about being the underdog, his evolution as a man and how playing football shaped his purpose and led him on a path to stardom and success.
Going from an undrafted rookie to impressive back to back early seasons with the Giants, winning a Super Bowl and becoming widely known for his touchdown celebration salsa dance moves, Victor used his on field success to help carve a niche for him in the Big Apple, finding himself in the spotlight with fashion, film and philanthropy.
Growing up in Patterson, NJ attending boarding school, having some troubles in and out of college and losing his father, Victor credits his success to becoming the man of the house at an early age and to his upbringing watching his mother work hard made him want to do the same. No stranger to adversity, Victor made a career of overcoming setbacks and after suffering a very serious injury on the road in Philadelphia where he tore the patellar tendon in his right knee, the wide receiver documented his recovery process and shocked the world when he returned to the field a year later.
Ryan, also undrafted turned Super Bowl Champion, talks about how the journey through the league is different for guys who don't get their number called on draft day and Victor echoes that sentiment and opens up on why his story means so much, especially to young people who are chasing a dream. Creating a legacy for his family and the young people of his hometown is most important to him and he shares with Fred why giving back and showing today's youth what is possible is most important.
Channing isn't going to let him off easy and comes right out and asks about his very public break up with Karrueche Tran and how he landed the actress and model to begin with. Victor talks about dating in the public eye and the effect it has on his relationships, the headlines his daughter reads from it and how he navigates his personal life looking to be in a long-term relationship again.
With the recent playoff run by his New York Giants, Victor shares his excitement around the team and gives his Super Bowl pick but Ryan couldn't let him off the hook without asking for the real story around the infamous boat trip Victor and his teammates took the morning after winning a playoff game a few years back that received public backlash and nicknamed a curse of a trip as the favored Giants ended up losing the next round. We get the real story on the infamous boat outing with Trey Songz!
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