Mother of running back Cam Skattebo defends son's podcast comments on CTE and asthma

Rebecca Skattebo defended her son, American football running back Cam Skattebo, after he made comments questioning the existence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and describing asthma as an "excuse" during a podcast appearance.

Skattebo, a standout at Arizona State University where he rushed for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024 while earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors, later apologized on X for what he called a "tasteless joke."^[1]^[2]

"If only people knew how many times Cam had to ‘run and get mom's inhaler’ they'd realize the sarcasm...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," Becky Skattebo wrote on X.

Skattebo issued an apology on the platform, stating: "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. 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."

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive, degenerative brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head and concussive trauma, according to the Mayo Clinic.^[3] Postmortem studies have identified CTE in numerous former football players, including more than 100 former NFL players.^[4]