Victor Cruz: Teammate's vandals a 'direct reflection' of how 'country's being run'

Earlier this week, the home of Giants fullback Nikita Whitlock was broken into and vandalized, with the criminals in question leaving racial slurs as well as swastikas written on the walls.

The NFL called the incident "abhorrent and disappointing" and Victor Cruz, a teammate of Whitlock's, had even strong words.

Cruz believes it is emblematic of issues within the United States and that, via the New York Daily News, it is also "a direct reflection of how this country's being run."

"I think it's definitely a direct reflection of how this country's being run and how this country's reacting maybe to some of the decisions, some of the ways that this country's being run and things that are being said by people at the helm of this country and at the helm of our day-to-day lives -- our day-to-day, from social media all the way up to the White House," Cruz said.

"These are things that are being spoken of and talked about on a daily basis, the good and the bad, more so the bad at this point right now because that's all we have to work with. It's just an unfortunate situation we're going through right now."

The word "Trump" was also written on one wall in Whitlock's home. Cruz was asked about that and criticized the "specific mindset" of people who are "supporting a guy like Donald Trump."

"I think there's a specific mindset that comes with supporting a guy like Donald Trump and supporting what he stands for, and there's a certain type of person that comes with that, and I'm not sure that person is always a positive-minded person," Cruz said. "You know what I mean? You just have to be careful. As a minority you have to be careful. As a person of influence you have to be careful, and you've just got to make sure your family's safe and give them the knowledge to stay safe in this world."

The biggest concern for Cruz, who hails from Paterson, New Jersey, appeared to be the location -- right in "our backyard."

"[Whitlock experienced] vandalism, in the tri-state area. This is right here in our home," Cruz said. "This is our backyard, and these things are happening. It's unfortunate."