A viral sideline clip of Cam Skattebo and John Harbaugh during the New York Giants' preseason finale against the New York Jets left some viewers convinced the running back and his first-year head coach were having an unfriendly exchange. Skattebo pushed back on that interpretation Thursday on Up & Adams.
"There's that video going around of me and Harbaugh, and not liking what I said or whatever," Skattebo told Kay Adams. "It was a more serious conversation. It wasn't anything negative or anything positive."
The conversation, Skattebo said, was a hypothetical football question: whether it was "more messed up to kneel the ball going into the end zone from the one-yard line or actually scoring."
The clip fed a larger outside narrative that Skattebo's
high-energy style was wearing thin with the coaching staff and teammates. That perception gained steam after an August 26 training camp scuffle with cornerback Greg Newsome and safety Jevon Holland, when Skattebo's late slide after a reception sparked a brief intra-squad dust-up.
Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor publicly rejected reports that Skattebo's act had grown old inside the locker room.
Skattebo, meanwhile, praised Harbaugh's approach and the culture he is installing.
"He's awesome. He's tough, man. He's keeping the way you need to coach football in football," Skattebo said of players who do not want to practice hard. "He's brought this culture where we're going to practice, we're going to practice every minute that the NFL allows us to, and we're going to do it in pads as much as we possibly can because that's how football is played. And I really enjoy that."
Skattebo's closing line left little room for interpretation.
"Me and Harbs are on the same page. We love each other," he said.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' Cam Skattebo squashes rumors of beef with John Harbaugh
