The Chicago Bears are one of the founding members of the NFL. Former head coach and owner George Halas helped shape the game of football, and is one of the most well-respected figures in the sport.
His daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey is the principal owner of the team, and her son, George McCaskey is the chairman. Former receiver Victor Cruz, who was on Chicago’s roster during the 2017 offseason recently lashed out at the team’s “trash” ownership.
Victor Cruz Thinks the Bears and Team Ownership Are ‘Trash’
Cruz was signed by the New York Giants as a undrafted free agent in 2010. He burst onto the scene in a preseason game against the New York Jets, which was captured on that season’s edition of “Hard Knocks”. Cruz made the Giants’ 53-man roster as a rookie, appearing in three games before being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
He returned in 2011 and was unexpectedly thrust into an expanded role because of injuries. Cruz posted 82 receptions, 1,536 yards, and nine touchdowns en route to second-team All-Pro honors and a Super Bowl 46 championship.
Cruz made the Pro Bowl the following season after collecting 86 catches, 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Giants failed to make the postseason, but Cruz had established himself as more than a one-hit-wonder.
He signed a five-year, $45.8 million extension the following offseason. In 2013, he was limited to 14 games, 73 receptions, 998 yards, and four touchdowns. His final three seasons in New York were marred with injures.
A 2014 torn patellar tendon ended Cruz’s season after six games, and a training camp calf injury in 2015 turned into season ending surgery without the receiver seeing the field. He returned in 2016, but was not the same player. The Giants released Cruz following the season, and he signed a one-year deal with Chicago.
Cruz was not a fan of his time as a Bear. Yardbarker picked up a ChiCitySports story by Jordan Sigler about Cruz’s feelings on his time with the Bears.
Cruz said, “It was the Bears, yeah,” Cruz said of where he finished his NFL career in 2017. “I was there for a little cup of coffee. It’s funny because once I transitioned, you know, the stigma, or not the stigma, but something they tell you in the league often is like, ‘Oh, it ain’t, you know, when you leave the Giants, it ain’t the same everywhere.’
“And I’m like, well, I’m going to the Bears, a heralded organization, been around for a hundred years. Like, they absolutely run a high-level organization there. And I got there and I was looking around, I was like, this [expletive] is trash. Food was trash, ownership was trash, coaching staff was trash… It was just awful. In comparison to the Giants, where it was like gourmet, we got packaged lunch.”
The Bears are well-known for being an offensive wasteland for non-running backs. They are the only team who hasn’t had a 4,000 yard passer, and multiple receivers have left with a bad taste in their mouth. Cruz was added to that list after his brief time with the team. It’s a tough look for a charter franchise of the league.