In 2016, the NFL acknowledged a connection between football-related head trauma and CTE. But New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo assumed that his comments around the disease would pass. Cam Skattebo’s interview came out on March 12, his comments went viral on March 22, and so did his apology. But Skattebo’s apology was quickly followed by his mother’s direct message to his fans.

“If only people knew how many times Cam had to ‘run and get mom’s inhaler,’ they’d realize the sarcasm,” Skattebo’s mother wrote 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.”

Becky’s post came after Cam Skattebo’s appearance on the Bring The Juice podcast.

During the conversation with host Frank Dalena, Cam was asked if he believes CTE is real. His response, “No. It’s an excuse,” quickly went viral.

The conversation then moved to asthma, which made things worse and brought more attention to Cam. Dalena said asthma was “fake,” and Skattebo agreed.

“No, that’s a good take. Asthma is fake,” Skattebo said. “Just literally breathe air.”

Cam’s remarks obviously didn’t sit well with his fans or anyone who came across the interview, and in a few minutes, the RB found himself under heavy scrutiny. Following his insensitive remarks, the RB quickly issued an apology online.

“I recently did an interview and had a lapse in judgment, which resulted in me making a tasteless joke about CTE and asthma,” Skattebo posted on X. “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 I’ll be more mindful and respectful going forward.”

As a running back, a position that endures some of the most frequent and violent collisions in the sport, Skattebo’s dismissal of CTE was seen by many as particularly jarring and disconnected from how it has affected several players in the past.

Several former NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE, including Junior Seau, Aaron Hernandez, Vincent Jackson, and Demaryius Thomas. Research from the Boston University CTE Center found CTE in 345 out of 376 former NFL players studied, though the full rate across all players is still unknown.

For a player who is expected to come back from a season-ending injury ahead of the 2026 season, the offseason just took a turn. Now, the Giants player has two things to handle: the backlash from his recent comments and how he is shaping up for the new season ahead.

Cam Skattebo is excited for the Giants’ training camp

The Giants drafted Skattebo in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Arizona State. In eight games, he rushed for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries. He also added 207 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 23 catches.

He showed good signs early in his rookie season before an ankle injury cut his year short. His season ended in Week 8 after an ankle dislocation, a fractured tibia, and a ruptured deltoid ligament, which was a major setback. Despite that, Skattebo is taking steps in his recovery as he hasn’t yet returned to his full form.

Earlier in the past week, during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, the RB gave an update on his recovery, adding that he was able to run for a little and can get away from a baby hippo.

” I ran for the first time today about 75 percent, so it’s the bright side of things,” Cam replied when asked how the recovery is going. “I can get away from like a baby hippo maybe, but that’s about it.”

Further, when the conversation turned to the training camp in July, Skatebbo was quick to mention that he will be ready by that time, highlighting his excitement.

“Oh, I’ll be ready to go by training camp. Absolutely. All right,” he continued. “You know, I probably got a little over a month left. I’m fully back to 100 percent. So OTAs are coming up in about a month, and I’m excited.”

While Cam Skattebo still has a long road ahead, his optimism will make the recovery a bit easier for him. As he prepares for the 2026 campaign, one thing is clear: Cam Skattebo is ready to tackle it all.