ESPN analyst Chris Russo lambasted New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo for attempting a backflip at Fanatics Fest, calling the action "beyond stupid" given the player's recent injury history. The incident occurred while Skattebo was on stage at the event.
"He had a terrible ankle injury last year and he’s doing back flips at Fanatics fair? I mean what are you doing?" Russo said Monday on "First Take." He added that while he was a fan of Skattebo coming out of Arizona State, the decision to attempt the stunt was unwise.
"You got training camp coming up, don’t do anything dumb like that," Russo advised. "Take it easy in front of the plans on a platform." He expressed significant frustration, stating, "Oh my god did that drive me crazy."
During the "First Take" discussion, fellow analyst Jason McCourty offered a contrasting perspective, defending Skattebo. McCourty compared attempts to stop Skattebo from doing flips to trying to silence Russo on television. He argued that as long as Skattebo is present and ready to perform at full capacity during the season, his personal activities are his own.
Skattebo himself stated after the event that he was unharmed and attributed the failed backflip to the "bouncy" stage flooring. "I’m just going to keep being me, and if they want to say I’m brain-dead, and I don’t have no brain, then who cares, f— it," he commented during a panel at Fanatics Fest.
Skattebo suffered a severe right ankle dislocation and an open tibia fracture in Week 8 of the 2025 season. The injury required surgery in October, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. Prior to his injury, Skattebo had accumulated 410 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries, in addition to 207 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 24 receptions.