Giants’ Cam Skattebo says his denial of CTE and asthma were part of a ‘tasteless joke’

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo has apologized for saying that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and asthma are “fake”, insisting that his comments were not meant to be taken seriously.

In an appearance on the Bring the Juice podcast, the 24-year-old was asked whether he believes CTE – a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma – is real. Skattebo called the condition an “excuse”, before making a similar claim about asthma.

“Yeah, asthma’s fake too,” Skattebo said, adding that people should “just breathe air”.

After receiving widespread backlash for his comments, Skattebo offered a retraction on social media.

“I recently did an interview and had a lapse in judgment, which resulted in me making a tasteless joke about CTE and asthma. It was never my intention to downplay the seriousness of head injuries or asthma,” he wrote on X on Saturday. “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.”

CTE a condition that can cause mood swings, depression, suicidal thoughts and memory loss, was found in 110 of 111 former football players in a 2017 study. The condition, which is caused by repeated blows to the head, can only be diagnosed after death. The league finally acknowledged a link between football and the condition in 2016.

Asthma affects hundreds of millions of people around the world and can lead to death in extreme cases.

Skattebo’s mother, Becky Skattebo, replied to her son’s post saying she was asthmatic and his comments had been in jest.

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

Skattebo was a popular figure with Giants fan in his rookie season in 2025 due to his physical running style. He scored seven touchdowns and ran for 410 yards before an ankle injury ended his season.