Carlos Rogers Vows That He Won't Mock Victor Cruz's Signature Dance On Sunday
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There won't be any salsa-dancing controversies on Sunday at Candlestick Park when the Giants take on the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of last season's NFC championship game.
At least that's what 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers has vowed ahead of the highly-anticipated matchup.
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, known for his signature salsa dance, wasn't too pleased when he believed that Rogers mocked him by doing the dance against the G-Men last November.
In his autobiography, entitled "Out of the Blue," Cruz voiced his displeasure with the incident, writing,"With his teammates cheering him on, he did a sarcastic salsa dance over me. The Candlestick Park crowd went ballistic, but I wasn't laughing. It was a sign of disrespect. Instead of getting up and retaliating, though, I sat and watched Rogers finish his cheap Victor Cruz imitation."
Rogers' dance really got under Cruz's skin because he learned it from his grandmother, Lucy Molina. Molina played a crucial role in raising Cruz, and she passed away at the age of 77 in early September. Upon hearing how near and dear the dance was to the Paterson native's heart, Rogers said that he wouldn't do the dance.
"I'm not gonna do it," Rogers told the New York Daily News on Thursday. "That's a tribute to his grandmother. Once (I heard) that, I threw that out the door. It's definitely out."
His statement was a far cry from what he said earlier in the week, when he opined, "I like the (Victor Cruz) dance, actually. I really can't do it as good as him, but if I make a play or get an interception on him, in my mind just do his dance."
Cruz responded to that statement by saying that he "definitely wouldn't be OK" if Rogers disrespects him again.
"At the time, I didn't know," Rogers said in regard to how much the dance meant to Cruz. "It was just fun and games. "It's his dance, but I enjoyed the dance. But now that he's saying it's more than that to him, I just throw that out the window."
Will Rogers do another dance if he picks off Giants quarterback Eli Manning again?
"I don't know," the former first-round pick told the newspaper. "I don't make up stuff. It's just whatever happens, if I get in the end zone."
Imagine Rogers betrays Cruz after speaking those heartfelt words? How cold would that be? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below...
