Cam Skattebo learned lesson from dumb backflip fail after convos with Giants brass

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.— Joe Schoen was on vacation, having dinner when, he said, “it was brought to my attention.’’ As the general manager of the Giants, everything that goes on with the team runs through Schoen, one way or another.

And when something away from the field takes place that he needs to know about, word gets to him as quickly as possible.  Get texts from Paul Schwartz with all the latest Giants news and insights, exclusive to Sports+ subscribers.So, what went down that was so important that Schoen needed to be apprised of the situation while he was relaxing and enjoying himself with his family and friends before the start and grind of training camp? It was something about Cam Skattebo. The rambunctious running back a few weeks ago did a backflip at the Fanatics Fest event.

That Skattebo performed this maneuver is old news, considering he flips away whenever he scores a touchdown.This time, though, a judge scoring the action would have given Skattebo a failing grade.

He stumbled on the landing and later blamed a bouncy stage floor for missing his mark. What is the big deal about this? Skattebo is coming off a nasty right ankle dislocation and open tibia fracture that ended his rookie season after only eight games.His rehab proceeded just fine, but there could certainly be reason to object to seeing him needlessly test and possibly endanger the ankle merely two weeks before camp. Schoen’s initial reaction was to fire off a quick text to confirm Skattebo was fine. “The video shows a little bit about how good his rehab’s been, that he’s able to not land it and still be okay,’’ Schoen said, before adding, “but he knows I’d rather him not do that, especially this close to camp.’’ Head coach John Harbaugh spoke with Skattebo about this and it certainly sounds as if the message was received. “Yeah, I mean, obviously I do some dumb things here and there, but I learn from it,’’ Skattebo said Friday after tr...