Former Giant Victor Cruz, who was among a group of Big Blue wide receivers on the now-infamous boat trip in Miami, opened up about the trip that he says will continue to haunt him.

"We came back the next day, we didn't break any rules. This photo will haunt me for the rest of my life," Cruz said on E! News.

"I didn't feel like I was sneaking. It was moreso the feeling of 'Man, when am I gonna get to do this again? When am I gonna get to be an athlete, win a football game, be on a private jet, go to Miami the same night?' It was like one of those things where I was just like, 'I think I'm just gonna feed our ego tonight.' And we're just gonna have fun, we're not breaking any rules. We have a day off the next day, we got back in time.

"But the fact that there was a photo and it leaked out to Twitter, someone posted it and it started to circulate and make its rounds, that's what amplified it. But Dennis Rodman went to Vegas in the middle of (the Bulls) chasing their sixth championship. Like, what? I can't even fathom."

Cruz and wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. , Sterling Shepard and Roger Lewis were seen partying in Miami on a yacht with Justin Bieber, rapper Fabolous and R&B singer Trey Songz following the Giants' season-ending win over the Redskins.

The trip, which Eli Manning said he had no problem with, happened on an off-day for the Giants, and the team lost to the Packers the next weekend in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

"I think what guys do on their off day is not a big deal," Manning said at the time. "I saw it. I just kind of laughed. I knew I'd have to answer questions about it. I knew it would be a story. That's all I thought about it."

Asked what the reaction was when he returned from the boat trip, Cruz said lots of it was media-driven. And he said he doesn't regret the trip.

"I'm like, yeah (it was ok to take the trip). We have seven days before the next game. We have a week's worth of practice. It shouldn't hinder us in winning and losing of this next game. We just wanted to have fun on New Year's Day in Miami for a couple of hours."

During the playoff loss to the Packers, Cruz had three catches for 30 yards, Beckham had four catches on 11 targets for 28 yards, and Shepard had four catches for 63 yards.

Video: Giants draft pick Cam Brown talks future role on D

Popular in the Community