New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo pulled up his pant leg at Fanatics Fest on Saturday to show a crowd the ankle that ended his rookie season, then attempted a backflip and landed on his back. The clip was everywhere within an hour, and by Sunday morning Skip Bayless was publicly urging John Harbaugh to fine him.
I was at the convention the next day when Skattebo was back at the same convention, seated alongside quarterback Jaxson Dart for a live taping of The Fantasy Footballers (hosted by Jason Moore and Mike “The Fantasy Hitman” Wright). He addressed the viral backflip failure during the panel.
Skattebo addressed the elephant in the room
Cam Skattebo, Mike Wright and Jason Moore speak onstage during Fantasy Footballers at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 19, 2026 in New York City.
Credit: (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Fanatics)
“I’m gonna address the elephant,” Skattebo told the audience. “I will NOT hurt myself before the season.”
The explanation that followed put the blame on the venue rather than the ankle. Skattebo said the Fanatics Fest stage was built over WWE flooring, which gave him more lift than he expected off the takeoff. “So when I took off, I was mid-air, like, ‘Holy cow, I’m not gonna land this, I’m way too high,'” he said. “Landed, but it had too much cushion. It wasn’t a stiff, firm ground. So that’s why I kinda like went back, safely landed, got back up, was good to go.” He has since described himself as “perfectly fine.”
Asked about his “wild maniac” moniker and the perception around him, Skattebo did not offer much in the way of contrition. “I’m just gonna keep being me,” he said. “If they wanna say I’m braindead, then f— it.”
The injury is what turned a party trick into a story
Skattebo dislocated his right ankle in Week 8 against the Eagles, an injury that also included a fractured fibula and a ruptured deltoid ligament and required season-ending surgery. The Giants placed him on injured reserve in late October. Backflips are a long-running part of his act going back to Arizona State, and in a normal July nobody writes about one.
Cam Skattebo, NFL: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Skattebo took limited 11-on-11 reps during June minicamp, and Harbaugh said before camp that he expects the second-year back to participate early, with Malik Nabers “not far behind” him. Skattebo has said he intends to get back to “running people over” and refuses to let the injury change how he plays. The stunt and the stated mindset are the same thing pointed in two directions.
What the Giants are protecting
Skattebo produced through eight games before the injury, and the underlying numbers explain why a July fall generated this much noise. He carried 101 times for 410 yards and five touchdowns at 4.1 yards per attempt, added 24 catches for 207 yards and two scores, and forced 22 missed tackles as a runner while averaging 3.0 yards after contact per carry.
Cam Skattebo running for the Giants
Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
2025 rookie metric (8 games) Mark Rank among qualified RBs
PFF overall grade 80.5 13th of 55
PFF rushing grade 81.0 17th of 55
Yards after contact per attempt 3.0 —
Forced missed tackles (rushing) 22 —
That production came on a fourth-round rookie deal worth $5.271 million over four years with a $1.1 million signing bonus — the 105th pick returning starter-level value at close to the league minimum. Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. sit atop a backfield that Harbaugh’s staff has built around volume power running, with Devin Singletary as the veteran insurance behind them. Cheap, productive, and central to the offensive identity is a difficult combination to replace in August.
Nobody around the team is treating this as an injury event
Cam Skattebo speaks onstage during the fantasy footballers panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 19, 2026 in New York City.
Credit: (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Fanatics)
Skattebo walked away from the fall, worked the convention the next day, and is expected on the field early in camp. The reaction gap says more about the position he now occupies than about his ankle: a fourth-round pick who was a curiosity in 2025 is a player whose availability shapes the Giants’ season in 2026. He does not appear interested in adjusting to that.
Camp will answer the only question that actually matters.
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Anthony Rivardo is the COO of Empire Sports Media and the host of Fireside Giants, a New York Giants ... More about Anthony Rivardo