It was last year at this time where receiver Victor Cruz, accustomed to media attention, found his name in the news.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick had just started his peaceful but incendiary protests during the national anthem and Cruz, a Giants receiver best known for his end zone salsa dance, was quoted as being critical of him.
Do a Google search of “Victor Cruz Kaepernick” and you’ll get pages upon pages of results with Cruz's money quote: “You’ve got to respect the flag.” It was like manna for the bloodthirsty critics of Kaepernick, whose national anthem kneeldown protest would go on to become one of the most divisive stories in sports.