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Receiver Victor Cruz has not yet been able to work out a long-term contract to stay with the Giants.

(Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: Yahoo! Sports reports the NFLPA has talked to CAA about the use of Jay-Z to recruit Victor Cruz and says it is "unlikely to be viewed as a violation" because of the long-standing friendship between Cruz and the rapper.

Giants receiver Victor Cruz's on-field and off-the-field interests seemed to align last week, when rapper Jay-Z announced the launch of sports management company Roc Nation Sports, in partnership with agency CAA Sports.

Cruz and Jay-Z are friends, and Cruz left agent Malik Shareef for CAA's Tom Condon last month. But the newly forged relationships appear to have violated NFL Players Association rules.

A Yahoo! Sports report Thursday night shed light on many aspects of Cruz's current situation, including that the restricted free agent "has told at least two people that he plans to stay with the Giants long-term," hoping to seize the business and marketing opportunities Roc Nation will open up for him.

Negotiations between the Giants and their single-season receiving record-holder toward a long-term deal have so far been fruitless, so the Giants used a first-round RFA tender on Cruz last month. No other team has yet signed Cruz to a competing offer sheet (the deadline is April 19) and the Yahoo! report adds that Cruz instructed his agents not to sign him with another team because he wants to work with the New York-based rapper -- information that has the potential to hurt his leverage in negotiations.

Cruz and Jay-Z have been friends for a while, and Cruz last season began flashing Jay-Z's dynasty hand sign after his signature salsa touchdown celebration. But here's where the complications may arise: The Yahoo! report quotes a text from CAA agent Ben Dogra, one of Condon's partners, saying that Jay-Z helped bring Cruz to CAA.

Jay-Z, whose given name is Shawn Carter, is not currently listed on the NFLPA website as a certified agent. Last June, the NFLPA made effective a rule that expressly prohibits using, associating with, employing or entering into any business relationship with anyone not certified by the NFLPA as an agent to recruit players as clients.

The so-called "runner rule" -- which states that violators are subject to sanctions -- is considered tough to enforce. This is a case, though, where there appears to be on-the-record evidence, drawing the interest of many NFL agents to see if, and how, the NFLPA will respond.

Shawn Smith, who works with several NFL players including San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick as the PR and Marketing Directing for X-A-M Sports, expressed her frustrations via Twitter.

"#XAMSports follows the #NFLPA's #runnerrule. Even though I OWN the biz and handle day-to-day interactions w/clients - I can NOT recruit," Smith posted. She then added, "Note: Bringing a big name to sports agency - brilliant move. I just want the rules applied to everyone who is playing in my sand box."

The NFLPA did not immediately respond to an email request seeking comment.