Victor Cruz has not exactly been shy about discussing his release from the New York Giants in February. He also hasn’t been shy about making some controversial comments.

Earlier this month, Cruz made waves when he said Eli Manning must “own up to” his part in the Giants’ alleged memorabilia scam.

“When you see something like this happen, you’re initial reaction is, ‘Nah, I don’t know what this is, but it will blow over soon,’ ” Cruz said on Hot 97. “[But] there are some conversations to be had. Something is going to have to be said.

“Eli is going to have to admit or own up to whatever this is. There’s a question of what was that email about? You’re asking your equipment manager to send you something that resembled game worn apparel. What is it about?”

Cruz eventually walked back those statements, but it raised eyebrows nonetheless.

On Wednesday, Cruz once again raised eyebrows, but this time, he did it by suggesting the Giants intentionally suppressed his production in 2016 so that he would be easier to cut and they wouldn’t have to pay up on some incentives.

“I felt it all year long. Halfway through the year I’m ballin’, the other half I’m not getting the ball. And you’re just like, ‘what’s going on?’ It was like ‘ok, I see what’s happening. They don’t want me here anymore.’ ” Cruz said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club. “A lot of people probably don’t know this… Let’s say I played well — was a 1,000-yard receiver last year — it would have been more difficult from a fan perspective to cut me.

“If I am a 1,000-yard guy, they’re like ‘why are you cutting Cruz? He just 1,000 yards and five or six touchdowns. That doesn’t make sense.’ But if I have 500 yards or whatever the case may be, it’s a little easier on the fans.”

Cruz added that based on his contract, there were also reachable incentives that would have earned him a ton of money in 2017.

“If I played well, they owed me a ton of money that next year,” Cruz added. “So it was like, ‘let’s get Cruz off the books.’ ”

An off-screen host then said “so that would explain why you were open so much and didn’t get the ball” to which Cruz responded “I’m glad you said it.”

Asked if the game of football is truly that political, Cruz went on to add that he’s seen players held out of games simply so a team (not necessarily the Giants) doesn’t have to pay them bonuses based on incentives. He specifically detailed instances in which players with game bonuses were listed as inactive for minor injuries they could have otherwise played through.

Additionally, Cruz said he was “hurt” by the Giants’ decision to release him after all he had given the franchise.

“It hurt, to be real. I gave so much to them. Seven years,” Cruz said. “It definitely hurt . . . but every run has to stop at some point.”

Cruz rounded out the interview by admitting he’d play for a team like the Dallas Cowboys if they came calling and that Tom Brady, not Eli Manning, is the best quarterback he’s ever seen on the field.

The comments were surprising to say the least, but when asked directly, Cruz stopped short of suggesting Eli Manning was in on the suppression.

“It’s hard to believe. Even just to think about someone coming up to the quarterback and saying ‘hey, don’t throw it here’ or ‘don’t give it to this guy’ — it’s hard to even fathom that thought. Which I don’t even know or think happens. I doubt it,” Cruz said. “But when you look at the film and look at how it goes down, it’s the only way.”

Cruz added that he’s appreciative of the Giants for allowing him to come back after missing nearly two full seasons due to injuries and that he understands the NFL is a business.

Update: Cruz has offered a clarification to these comments.

(H/T: Yahoo! Sports)