Victor Cruz is joined model Kate Upton as he cuts the ribbon kicking off the Fall 2012 season atMercedes-Benz Fashion Week on Wednesday in New York.

http://w w w .masslive.com/umassfootball/index.ssf/2012/02/post_4.html May 14, 2012

Victor Cruz: Show him the money?

Associated Press

What's it like to be former UMass widereceiver Victor Cruz now that he has wona Super Bowl with the New York Giants?

Well ...

• According to Keith J. Kelly of the NewYork Post, Cruz is closing in on a bookdeal to tell the story of his rise fromundrafted free agent to touchdown-catching, salsa-dancing sensation for theworld champions.

Kelly reports that Scott Waxman at theWaxman Literary Agency is handling thebook proposal in conjunction with IMG,which represents Cruz in non-play-relatedactivities. “He’s meeting with publishersnext week,” an IMG insider told Kelly,while Waxman did not return calls.

• Matt Bowen of Yahoo!Sports arguesthat Cruz, who made $450,000 with theGiants this season, is underpaid.

Wrote Bowen: "That’s a small price for

1,500-plus yards receiving."

Not to mention 82 receptions and 9 touchdowns, including one in the Super Bowl victory over theNew England Patriots.

• Earlier in the week, Cruz discussed his contract, which will pay him $490,000 next season, withMike Florio of Pro Football Talk:

“I think I was paid, you know, relative to where I came in this year and, you know, I came in as a freeagent so that’s the salary I was on, so I don’t feel like I was underpaid. I mean, I feel like after myperformance this year, you know, I feel like I deserve to be paid more money at this point. But that’ssomething I’ll let my agents and those people take care of and I’ll just go out there and play thegame.”

Wrote Florio:

He’s right. And he has every right to speak his mind. Undrafted and strapped in2010 with a three-year deal that pays minimum base salaries, he has now earnedmuch more than that.

• Whether the Giants agree with the argument that Cruz deserves more money remains to be seen,of course.

“We’re in the early stages of our evaluating the team as a whole, individually,” Giants GeneralManager Jerry Reese said on Feb. 9 in a conference call with reporters, according to Joe Greeneof newjerseynewsroom.com. “We have not yet discussed anything with respect to salaries.”

• In the meantime, Cruz is soaking up all the attention due a 25-year-old rising star in the big city.Check out his appearance this week on "Jimmy Fallon Live" in a pair of videos.

• And there's the headline that several media found too hard to resist: "Giants star Victor Cruz kicksoff Fashion Week in New York." The Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times used almost identicalwords to describe Cruz, accompanied by supermodel Kate Upton (but not Gisele Bundchen) cuttingthe ribbon at Lincoln Center. He also promoted his own clothing line, Young Whales.

• If that's not enough for you, Cruz and teammate Mario Manningham will present the Grammy forbest hip-hop duet on Sunday.

Reports E!Online:

We imagine Cruz will take the opportunity to show us more of his touchdown dancemoves, but let's hope he's able to talk! While cutting the ribbon to kickoff NewYork's Fall Fashion Week on Wednesday, he told reporters he was nursing a sorethroat after losing it from screaming too much during the city's parade celebratingthe Giants' big win.

• As for the inevitable "will success change him?" question, Cruz handles it as deftly as an EliManning pass, telling Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger:

“You just kind of understand it’s going to be a whirlwind in the beginning, all of the appearances andstuff like that. But after that, it’s about coming back, being the same old you, taking the samegarbage out at my mother’s house and doing the same old things."