SerpApi.Org
Giants head coach John Harbaugh offered Cam Skattebo a pearl of wisdom after the running back nearly suffered a freak injury following a failed backflip attempt.
While making an appearance at last week’s Fanatics Fest NYC, Skattebo tried to perform a backflip when he lost his footing and awkwardly crumpled to the ground. The Giants star quickly drew a fierce wave of backlash for the acrobatic maneuver, given that he’s still working his way back from a major right ankle injury suffered during a Week 8 matchup against the Eagles last season.
Addressing the incident on the ‘Bleav in Giants’ podcast, Harbaugh urged Skattebo to “at least stick” the landing if he ever tries another backflip.
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“My reaction when I saw it on my phone? My reaction was – I haven’t talked to him yet, I’m going to talk to him, I’m sure – my reaction was this: Dude, at least stick it,” Harbaugh said. “Land the thing if you’re going to do it.”
Despite the brief health scare, Harbaugh asserted that Skattebo was making great strides in his recovery from a right ankle dislocation, tibia fracture and ruptured deltoid ligament.
“Skat’s going to be ready to go,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been working super hard. He’s really been training like crazy. His mind is on camp. He’s healthy. He’s ready to roll, and I can’t wait to see him at practice.”
Speaking to SiriusXM's "The Fantasy Footballers" during another event at Fanatics Fest, Skattebo dispelled any injury concerns while promising that he wouldn’t hurt himself prior to the 2026 NFL campaign.
"Yeah, I mean, so I've been doing backflips since I was like four years old. So it's natural to me. I'm gonna address the elephant. I will not hurt myself before the season," Skattebo explained.
"What happened was, I don't know if you guys know WWE or not, those floors are bouncy. So when I took off, I was mid-air, like, holy cow, I'm not gonna land this, I'm way too high. 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. So nothing came out from that. I'm perfectly fine. Nothing happened. We're good."
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart still couldn’t help but poke fun at his teammate, insisting that Skattebo displayed his signature burst and explosiveness during the failed backflip.
"Hey, when I looked at it though, I was like, that's the most explosive I've seen Skat. He over-rotated," Dart said. "He looks real good, man. He looks real good."
Skattebo’s behavior both on and off the gridiron has earned him a “wild maniac moniker” — one that the 24-year-old has happily embraced.
"I totally enjoy that part,” he declared. “I think I less enjoy the brain-dead kind of guy.
"But it is what it is. I mean, the New York people love it, so I'm just gonna keep being me. And if they wanna say I'm brain-dead and I don't have no brain, then who cares? F--- it, you know?"
