Cam Skattebo
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Cam Skattebo's mother cleared the air on his controversial CTE comments
It’s been an eventful offseason for the New York Giants to this point, and it’s safe to say that things are looking up for the team moving forward. With John Harbaugh taking over as the team’s new head coach, he will be tasked with helping elevate the Giants’ group of rising stars, a group that features popular running back Cam Skattebo.
In what ended up being a brief rookie campaign, Skattebo took the NFL by storm with his fiery playstyle and personality. However, he has found himself in some hot water as a result of some comments he recently made about CTE and asthma, leading his mother, Becky Skattebo, to come to his defense on social media.
Cam Skattebo’s Mother Fires Back at Criticism Over CTE Comments
If only people knew how many times cam had to "run and get mom's inhaler" they'd realize the sarcasm…you'll never make everyone happy and you'll never say all the right things and people are bound to spin something sooner or later in a direction it was never intended to go. 🤷🏼♀️ https://t.co/vQmwFpLOOk
— Becky Skattebo (@BeckySkattebo) March 22, 2026
A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Skattebo quickly earned the starting running back job for New York last season, and he briefly flashed his potential before he suffered a serious right ankle injury that ended his year. In eight games, Skattebo picked up 410 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries, while also racking up 207 yards and another pair of scores on 24 receptions.
Everything came crashing down when Skattebo suffered a gruesome injury late in October, as he dislocated his right ankle, fractured his fibula, and ruptured his deltoid ligament. Unsurprisingly, he’s faced a long and grueling rehab process, but the hope is that he will be back on the field for the Giants at some point in the upcoming season.
Skattebo’s aggressive playstyle and crazy personality have made him a fan favorite, but he appeared to cross a line when he said that both CTE and asthma are “fake” during a recent podcast appearance. Skattebo has since said he simply made a “tasteless joke,” and his mother took to social media to provide some more context on the situation.
“If only people knew how many times cam had to ‘run and get mom’s inhaler’ they’d realize the sarcasm,” Becky said in a post on X. “You’ll never make everyone happy and you’ll never say all the right things and people are bound to spin something sooner or later in a direction it was never intended to go. 🤷🏼♀️”
Cam Skattebo Looking to Move Past CTE Comments
Cam Skattebo
GettyGiants’ running back Cam Skattebo apologized for making controversial comments about CTE and asthma
Considering how Skattebo has dealt with asthma himself, it simply seems like he made a poorly timed joke. Regardless, there’s no place for these sorts of comments, especially when considering how big of an issue CTE has become in the game of football in recent years. Skattebo is still a young player, and given the backlash he’s faced in the wake of these comments, you can bet he’s going to learn from this incident.
In the meantime, Skattebo is going to continue pushing forward in his rehab, because once he’s ready to return to the field, the Giants are going to welcome him back with open arms. With quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Malik Nabers also leading the way, the return of Skattebo could ultimately prove to be a difference-maker for New York.