New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo apologizes for podcast remarks on CTE and asthma

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo, a second-year NFL player who previously starred at Arizona State University,^[3] stated on a recent podcast that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is not a "real thing" and described asthma as an "excuse."

Skattebo later issued an apology on X, formerly Twitter, acknowledging a "lapse in judgment" and describing his remarks as a "tasteless joke."

"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. "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. Much love !!!"

Skattebo's mother, Becky Skattebo, defended her son on X, writing: "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."

CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disease associated with repeated head trauma, according to the Mayo Clinic.^[1] Research from Boston University's CTE Center has identified CTE in numerous former NFL players diagnosed posthumously, with over 600 NFL players among more than 1,800 cases studied as of September 2022.^[2]