New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo’s has apologize for comments he made in a surreal interview earlier that week where he said CTE was fake.
Skattebo, who’s entering his second season in the NFL, had been asked by Frank Dalena of the “Bring The Juice” podcast if he thought the brain disease stemming from repeated head injuries was real.
“No, it’s an excuse,” Skattebo said.
Skattebo minimizing CTE, which the NFL has directly linked to playing football, drew widespread criticism on social media. A 2023 study conducted by Boston University revealed 92% of former NFL players who were analyzed after death had CTE.
In response to the backlash, Skattebo posted an apology Saturday.
“I recently did an interview and had a lapse in judgment, which resulted in me making a tasteless joke about CTE and asthma,” Skattebo wrote on his Instagram story. “It was never my intention to downplay the seriousness of head injuries or asthma. I sincerely apologize to anyone that was offended by my remarks, and I assure you that l’Il be more mindful and respectful going forward.”
Skattebo had also said that breathing issues associated with asthma, a lung ailment, were a fake medical condition and to “just literally breathe air” as a means to prevent lung issues.
The American Lung Association has determined the following factors play a role in developing asthma, which could be fatal: family history, allergies, occupational exposure, viral respiratory infections, smoking, air pollution and obesity.
For the first time ever in 2016, the NFL acknowledged a direct link between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL have worked to make the game safer for more than a decade. The league said in 2025 that it has significantly reduced concussion injuries since the adoption of new rules and guardian caps, soft-shell covers that go over helmets and lessen the impact of hits.
Skattebo is coming off a season-ending injury during his rookie campaign after dislocating his ankle in October. Skattebo, the No. 105 overall pick out of Arizona State, had rushed for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries, to go along with 24 receptions for 207 yards and two scores over his first eight NFL games.
Neither the Giants nor the NFL has not commented on Skattebo’s remarks.