New York Giants star Cam Skattebo has apologized over his disgusting claim that CTE is not real, admitting it was a ‘tasteless’ joke.
Skattebo, who recently wrapped up his rookie year in the NFL, sparked fury with his baseless comments about CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) on the ‘Bring The Juice’ podcast earlier this month.
Despite the neurodegenerative brain disease, which is caused by repeated blows to the head, being found in 345 of 376 deceased NFL players, the Giants running back said when asked if he believes it’s real: ‘No, [CTE] is an excuse.’
And he didn’t stop there. Skattebo also went on to dismiss the medical reality of asthma, calling the breathing disease ‘fake.’
After coming under fire over his comments, the 24-year-old took to Instagram to issue an apology.
‘I recently did an interview and had a lapse in judgement, which resulted in me making a tasteless joke about CTE and asthma. It was never my intention to downplay the seriousness of head injuries and asthma,’ Skattebo wrote on his story.
Giants star Cam Skattebo has apologized over his disgusting claim that CTE isn’t real
The 24-year-old is pictured with his girlfriend Chloe Rodriguez at the Madden Bowl
‘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!!!’
Before he walked back his controversial claims, several critics took aim at Skattebo on social media.
‘WTF brain damage and lung issues aren’t excuses lmao,’ one social media user wrote, replying to a clip of the interview.
‘Come on @camskattebo5 please be careful,’ another urged. ‘You play so hard though! Mad respect. Fun to watch you.’
CTE has come under great scrutiny in recent years within the football community, including the NFL, with many former players being diagnosed posthumously with the disease.
Furthermore, there have been concerns that the disease could be linked to suicide rates among former players.
Published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, the Football Players Study at Harvard University tracked deaths among NFL, MLB and NBA alumni over a 40-year period beginning in 1979. Over that time, there were 101 reported suicides among former athletes from those leagues, but it’s the NFL that is disproportionately represented over the final decade.
According to researchers, the suicide rate of ex-NFL players was 2.6 times higher than ex-NBA and MLB players. Those former stars include legendary San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, ex-Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson and the Atlanta Falcons’ Ray Easterling, all of whom were posthumously diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
