Former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz has joined E!’s new morning news show, “Pop of the Morning,” the cable channel said on Monday.
The retired football star will be co-hosting the 11 a.m. weekday show alongside Lilliana Vazquez and Scott Tweedie, who were recently announced as the new co-hosts of the revamped “E! News,” which premiered today.
“I’m getting ready to embark on a new journey with E! Entertainment on a show called ‘Pop of the Morning,’ 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. every single weekday,” Cruz said. “I’m excited for this new journey in life. I’m excited for you guys to see me in a different way. So just tune in with me!”
Here’s Cruz’ bio, courtesy of E!:
Cruz grew up in Paterson, NJ and was an all-state receiver for Paterson Catholic High School and went on to win a State Championship with the Cougars. After graduating from high school, Victor accepted a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts where he earned more athletic accolades and was ranked as high as 13th in the NCAA for receiving yards per game.
As an undrafted free agent in 2010, Victor impressively played his way onto the Giants’ 53-man regular season roster. By the end of the 2011 season, he finished with a single-season franchise record for receiving yards and was named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. Victor also tied an NFL record for the longest play with a 99-yard touchdown reception and was an integral part of the Giants victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
Cruz also devotes his time to numerous causes and is an active philanthropist. He launched the Victor Cruz Foundation in 2014, which encourages children to become physically active, focuses on college readiness, financial literacy, and STEM programming. In 2016, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America, his foundation launched and implemented the “Science in Sports” program. This curriculum provides students with a hands approach to STEM curriculum while simultaneously teaching them the science behind football as it relates to the NFL.