New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo took a hit to his bank account before suffering a gnarly season-ending injury.
Skattebo, 23, was fined $15,000 by the National Football League on Friday, October 24, two days before the rookie star dislocated his ankle in dramatic fashion against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The fine was handed down after a joint investigation by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, which found the Giants violated concussion protocol during their game against the Eagles on October 9.
Skattebo was deemed to have illegally entered the blue medical tent on the sidelines while Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was being evaluated for a concussion.
In a joint statement, the NFL and NFLPA said they “reviewed the relevant reports and video and jointly interviewed members of the club medical staff, independent medical providers, coaches and players.”
“The NFL and NFLPA concluded that the Giants violated the protocol when Head Coach Brian Daboll and running back Cam Skattebo entered the medical tent and spoke with Mr. Dart before his evaluation was complete, creating the perception that they were interfering with Mr. Dart’s exam” the statement read. “While the parties agreed that Coach Daboll’s and Mr. Skattebo’s actions had no actual impact on the exam or the care that Mr. Dart received, their conduct was inconsistent with and demonstrated a disregard for the concussion protocol’s requirements and therefore constituted a violation.”
In addition to the fine issued to Skattebo, the Giants organization was fined $200,000 and Daboll, 50, was fined $100,000.
The fines were officially categorized as being for “conduct detrimental to the league.”
Skattebo responded to the NFL and NFLPA’s ruling shortly after it was announced.
“I don’t really got any comments,” he told reporters on October 24. “I’m just glad Jaxson’s healthy.”
Skattebo suffered a dislocated ankle during the Giants’ game against the Eagles on Sunday, which saw him carted off the field and immediately transported to a Philadelphia-area hospital for surgery.
“Thank you everyone for the support!!” Skattebo wrote via X on Monday. “Surgery went well. I just want to thank the city of Philly for taking the best care of me. Every moment I spent in the hospital with family and friends I felt loved and supported in every way ❤️ thank you to the doctors, surgeons, and staff that did their best work on me.”
Skattebo added, “This is just the beginning of my journey and I can’t wait to show you guys all about it!!! GOD has a plan for me , stick the course and it will all work itself out , BRB 🫡 #LFG.”
The Giants star’s girlfriend, Chloe Rodriguez, showed her support for Skattebo on social media, reposting his message to her Instagram Story with a blue heart emoji.
The injury will cause Skattebo to miss the remainder of the NFL season, but it’s not all bad news for the Giants’ promising young star.
“If all is good and clean and the surgery went as well as everyone believes, he should be back with no issues for next year,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday. “It’s a gruesome injury, but the recovery is actually not as bad.”
