The benefit of hindsight is realizing when that thing you said before sounds ridiculous.
After Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz said in a radio interview he took less money than he deserved in a six-year, $45 million deal, it dawned on him that it might not be the best thing to say out loud.
“It was [perceived] rather incorrectly,” Cruz said at camp Friday, via Conor Orr of the Newark Star-Ledger. “I don’t feel underpaid at all, I’m very excited about my contract and I’m very excited about where I’m at with this team, the position I’m in with this team, I’m excited about everything.
“I don’t look at anyone else in terms of what they got and what everyone else got, it was just a general feeling, an honest feeling at the time and it got kind of depicted the wrong way. But I’m excited man, I’m here.”
The original sentiment was valid, based on what previous markets had led players to believe about their value. He didn’t do nearly as well as he originally hoped, and he was disappointed.
But given time to reflect on his journey from an undrafted rookie to a wealthy and famous person, he decided to circle back.
“If you look at the statistics I’m not even supposed to be standing in front of y’all answering these questions,” Cruz said. “For me to be here with a contract that’s over six years and to be with the best franchise in football, that’s great.”
Self-awareness, even if it runs late, is a wonderful thing.