Overview
- On Bring the Juice with host Frank Dalena, Skattebo answered “No. It’s an excuse” when asked if CTE is real and agreed with Dalena’s claim that asthma is “fake,” adding people should “just literally breathe air.”
- The video circulated widely on Saturday as outlets amplified the exchange and contrasted the remarks with established medical consensus.
- Former Giants defensive end Damontre Moore criticized the comments on Instagram, calling them “the most ignorant” he’d seen and warning Skattebo could rethink his stance later in his career.
- Boston University’s CTE Center reported in 2023 that 91.7% of examined former NFL players (345 of 376) had CTE, and federal data show asthma affects millions of Americans and causes thousands of deaths each year.
- Skattebo’s remarks follow earlier minimization of concussion risk and add to prior off-field issues, including a concussion-protocol fine, as he rehabs a season-ending ankle injury from his rookie year.