Victor Cruz Says Ed Reed Was Overfined For Hit

It’s not often one player defends an opposing player for a hit, but that’s exactly what happened to Raven defensive back Ed Reed. Giant’s wide receiver Victor Cruz has come out and said that a $55,000 fine leveled against Reed for leveling him is excessive.

Last Sunday when the Giants played the Ravens Cruz caught a pass and was crushed by Reed’s shoulder as he turned to go up field. The NFL determined that Reed’s hit was an unnecessary blow to Cruz’s head.

Since the NFL began cracking down on hard hits Reed has been fined multiple times. Cruz disagrees. On Friday he told reporters:

“I think it’s pretty steep. It’s a pretty hefty fine, but it wasn’t my decision. It wasn’t anything I could do about it, but I think that’s a pretty hefty fine, to say the least.”

He then joked:

“I guess dancing a little salsa in the end zone has been prosperous. Nobody likes to see the salsa man get hurt, so I don’t know what it is.”

The “salsa” Cruz is referring to is his signature end zone dance. After every score he celebrates with a brief salsa dance in the end zone. Coincidentally, he has also been the target of various violent hits that have warranted fines by the NFL.

After the Giants/Ravens game both Ed Reed and Victor Cruz agreed the hit was legal. Reed was hoping to avoid another fine, or even a suspension. About the hit Reeds tells reporters:

“I don’t know what is going to come of it. I had the referee whispering into my ear on the second play. All I like to do is play the game. I talked to Troy Aikman before the game about this – him and Joe Buck. They asked me how my game changed. I don’t really know what to do with it. I thought it was a decent hit.”

Ed Reed is one of the more violent hitters in the NFL but is also a future Hall of Famer. Here is a video of his hit on Victor Cruz:

What do you think, is the NFL trying to make an example of Ed Reed to the rest of the league?