American Football
Giants' Cam Skattebo embraces 'wild maniac' label after backflip blunder
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A clip of New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo landing awkwardly after attempting a backflip at the Fanatics Fest went viral over the weekend.
It comes as no surprise, given that he required surgery after his rookie season was cut short with a dislocated ankle.
Skattebo promises to avoid injury
He explained the situation on SiriusXM's The Fantasy Footballers.
"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 vowed.
"So 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."
Skattebo's already a fan favourite
A year into his time in New York, Skattebo has already earned a reputation as the kind of player fans build nicknames around.
He didn't duck the question when asked about his "wild maniac" label.
"No, I totally enjoy that part. I think I less enjoy the brain-dead kind of guy," he said. "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?"
Whatever the backflip situation says about his judgment, the tape from last season says plenty about his talent.
In eight games, he produced 410 rushing yards on 101 carries with five touchdowns, plus 24 catches for 207 yards and two more scores through the air.
With that said, the Giants front office and fans will surely be hoping he keeps his acrobatic displays on the football field going forward.
