The New York Giants and other NFL teams are preparing to start off the regular season in the next few weeks, as the preseason has been underway. There has been a lot of news around the NFL, with various players choosing to retire, such as cornerback Darrelle Revis, DeMarco Murray, and Kam Chancellor.

But in other recent New York Giants news, the breakout star and hero, Victor Cruz, has decided to hang up the cleats and retire from the NFL. Below are the details on the announcement and on his next journey with ESPN.

The announcement

Cruz announced his retirement over a video on UNINTERRUPTED, according to an article by ESPN.

He said, "As I officially close one chapter of my life and begin another, I could not be more thrilled to join another championship team at ESPN." This will be the next stop for the receiver after making a household name with his electric play on the field for the G-Men years ago.

Victor Cruz was instrumental to the Giants success from 2011 to 2013 when he helped the team win the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. The team ended up defeating Tom Brady and the Pats two times to win two rings. Although the defense was good and other players contributed, Cruz was a key part of it all. According to ESPN, between 2011 and 2013, Cruz tallied "241 passes for 3,626 yards and 23 touchdowns." He contributed in the Super Bowl with a touchdown catch where they defeated the Patriots 21-17.

Cruz has already made his presence felt, joining "First Take," and other shows, today (August 22). Now, he will be embarking on the next stage of his career, which is being an analyst for ESPN. Politics have continued to plague the NFL, however, recent news by the ESPN president states that they will no longer televise the national anthem during protests.

Fall from grace

There was a lot of struggle and bumps in the road for the wide receiver. All of this is highlighted by a documentary on Showtime called "I am Giant: Victor Cruz." Nobody was giving him a chance until the New York Giants stepped in and signed the wide receiver to their roster. The rest is history. Injuries would later derail a blossoming career, as Cruz had the speed to avoid defenders and the heart to keep moving forward, despite all the outside criticism.

Cruz had three good seasons but battled hamstring injuries. An article by Bleacher Report states: "his career took a sharp turn for the worse in 2014 when he suffered a torn patellar tendon that forced him to sit the entire 2015 campaign." The wide receiver was never quite the same after this injury, having lost a step and he did not have the same explosiveness. Many NFL players, who suffer from this specific injury, do not come back the same as they were initially.

The New York Giants gave him a chance to see if he still could play, but Sterling Shepard took his spot in the slot, as Cruz took to the outside. That season, Victor Cruz struggled immensely with creating separation from defenders and battling calf injuries.

This was simply not the same player.

The Chicago Bears would give him a chance, but he failed to even make the roster, as he got injured again. Despite all of it, Giants fans should be grateful for what they got out of Cruz, who battled so much adversity to have quite a career with the team. The team took a risk in acquiring him and Victor made the most of it. Thank you, Victor Cruz!
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