Victor Cruz Honors 6-Year-Old Shooting Victim, Jack Pinto, With Message on Cleats, Gloves (Photos)

by Jen Slothower on Sun, Dec 16, 2012 at 12:27PM

In a time of tragedy, a little Sharpie can go a long way.

NFL teams have been looking for ways to stand with the people affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., since news of the tragedy broke. Three teams — the Patriots, Giants and Jets, whose fan bases are close to the Newtown community — have been especially active, with special helmet decals and ceremonies planned for Sunday.

One player is taking the honor a step farther. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz has written the name of one of the victims, 6-year-old Jack Pinto, on his cleats and gloves for Sunday’s game. On the surface, it looks like just a small way to assuage the grief that everyone is struggling with, like when NBA stars Kevin Durant and LeBron James wrote “Newton, CT” on their shoes when they first took the court after the tragedy.

But Cruz’s gesture probably means a lot more.

Cruz learned after the shooting that Pinto was an especially big fan of the Giants and himself, and Cruz soon placed a call to Pinto’s parents. On Sunday, the writing on the wide receiver’s gloves and cleats will recognize Pinto as “my hero.”

My sincerest condolences to the entire Pinto family. My prayers are with you during this extremely difficult time.
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Victor Cruz (@TeamVic) December 16, 2012