This offseason, Cam Skattebo has been working his way back from a serious leg injury that required season-ending surgery. Midway through his rookie year with the New York Giants, Skattebo fractured his tibia, dislocated his ankle, and ruptured his deltoid ligament.
This weekend at Fanatics Fest, the Giants running back attempted a backflip on his surgically repaired leg and failed, which prompted some strong reactions from the NFL world.
Cam Skattebo Crushed by NFL World for Risky Backflip
Skattebo attempted the backflip while doing a WWE-style entrance at Fanatics Fest. While he nearly completed the flip, the rookie running back lost his footing and fell down before quickly getting back to his feet.
The failed backflip immediately went viral on social media.
“The Giants front office is probably losing it at this clip of Cam Skattebo,” said Bussin’ With the Boys’ official account.
The Giants front office is probably losing it at this clip of Cam Skattebo pic.twitter.com/3CP7XtYhZZ
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) July 18, 2026
Many questioned why Skattebo would attempt the stunt so soon after surgery, while others trolled the running back.
“John Harbaugh yelled at Joe Flacco for skateboarding once,” NFL analyst Lindsey Ok wrote on X. “Imagine his face seeing this imbecile do this.”
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NFL analyst John Frascella added: “Any reason why Cam Skattebo appears to be trying to end his own career…”
“Convinced there are members of this team who seem determined to give John Harbaugh a heart attack,” one Giants influencer chimed in.
“I’m sure John Harbaugh is THRILLED to see this,” added another influencer.
NFL QB coach Quincy Avery was also critical of Skattebo: “What an idiot”
What an idiot. https://t.co/FOLnkY4HrL
— Quincy Avery (@QuincyAvery) July 19, 2026
“Nothing but static space between those ears,” commented a Giants fan.
After the Giants running back got trolled online, Skattebo addressed the incident on Sunday. He assured Giants fans there was nothing to worry about.
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“I’m gonna address the elephant [in the room]: I will not hurt myself before the season,” Skattebo said. The Giants RB also explained why the landing went wrong. “I don’t know if you guys know WWE or not, but those floors are bouncy, so when I took off and was in midair, I was like, ‘Holy cow, I’m not going to land this. I’m way too high.’
“I landed, but I had too much cushion; it wasn’t a stiff firm ground so I kind of went back, safely landed, got back up and was good to go. Nothing came out from that. I’m perfectly fine, nothing happened, we’re good.”
“I’m gonna address the elephant… I will NOT hurt myself before the season.”
– Cam Skattebo responds to his viral backflip stumble. #NYGiants pic.twitter.com/tiS4HWKuPM
— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) July 19, 2026
The backflip by Skattebo wasn’t his first this offseason. He also did a backflip after hitting a home run during teammate Brian Burns’ celebrity softball game in May.
Skattebo is expected to be ready for Week 1. Skattebo showed flashes prior to his injury last season; he posted an RB Impact Score of 70.9, which ranked 40th in the NFL, and averaged 4.1 yards per carry, which ranked 30th.
Harbaugh has made it clear that he doesn’t want to see Skattebo attempting any flips. Back in June, Harbaugh revealed that he told his running back “no more backflips,” which makes his Fanatics Fest flip even more surprising.
A healthy Skattebo is expected to play a key role in the Giants’ offense this season, as he is entering the year as the team’s RB1.
During his injury-shortened rookie campaign, he totaled 410 rushing yards, added 24 receptions for 207 receiving yards, and finished with 7 touchdowns.
