Victor Cruz speaks to parents of boy killed in Newtown shootings
Newtown, Conn. may technically be in New England, but since it is located only 60 miles north of New York City, many residents are New York sports fans. This was true of 6-year-old Jack Pinto, who was one of the 20 children killed Friday in the second-worst school shooting in the nation’s history.
According to an NFL report, young Jack was a Giants fan, and his favorite player was wide receiver Victor Cruz, a fact Cruz learned of on Saturday. The wide receiver then reached out to the Pinto family. The bereaved parents reportedly told Cruz they are considering burying their son in Cruz’s jersey.
The Giants (and Jets) plan to honor the victims of the Newtown shooting by writing “S.H.E.S” on their helmets, but Cruz took it one step farther, as he is reportedly planning to write Jack’s name on his cleats and gloves.
The Patriots are also planning a tribute for the Newtown victims. The team will wear helmet decals with the Newtown town seal on them and a black ribbon. They will also hold a moment of silence before Sunday night’s game and send up 26 flares, one by one, in memory of the 26 victims.
Cruz and any sports team’s actions will not bring Jack and the 25 others killed back home, but perhaps, by putting Jack and the Newtown victims in the limelight on Sunday, Cruz and NFL teams will help the world continue to remember the innocent lives that ended too soon.
