Former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz says that head coach Ben McAdoo should have been fired weeks ago.
The New York Giants decision to fire head coach Ben McAdoo was long overdue, according to former Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz.
“I think it was long overdue,” Cruz said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Tuesday, per NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “I think it was a couple of weeks already too late. Once you see guys in that locker room start to give these anonymous reports about how he’s handling them and practice on (Saturday), that’s how you know he’s completely lost the locker room and completely lost the players.”
The Giants fired McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese on Monday after the Giants lost to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. McAdoo was criticized last week for benching Eli Manning. While Giants co-owner John Mara signed off on McAdoo’s decision to bench Manning, Cruz believes that benching Eli proved that McAdoo needed to go.
“Benching Eli was probably one of the most disrespectful things I’ve seen in a very long time,” he told the New York Daily News’ Jake Becker. “What he’s done for that organization, what he’s done for the city of New York, especially where essentially you have nothing to play for. … He’s earned the right to finish the year how he wants. Don’t slap him in the face and say, ‘Hey, we’ll start you for a half just to keep the streak alive.’”
Cruz, who played for Big Blue from 2011 to 2016, said in October that he was hoping to get a call from the Giants because he thought that he could help them turn things around. The receiver said on Tuesday that he’s preparing for a return to football next season. If he does return next year, then it probably won’t be with the Giants, even with new leadership in place.
