Nightcap Hour 2: Cam Skattebo CONTEMPLATED Retirement + Stephen Jones SPEAKS ON George Pickens FUTURE + Colorado UPSETS Georgia Tech + Amen Thompson Gets PAID + Donovan Mitchell Says Alcohol HELPED 71 POINT Game

**Shannon Sharpe** (0:00)
The New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo. He briefly contemplated retirement after suffering an open fracture of his right ankle during his rookie season. Like the first month, I'm like, damn, do I really want to do this? And then it was like seven games, you know, I gotta go back and play. Coming out of college, going to the NFL, I think I gave myself one rule. If I ever got a major injury, I was done playing. And that happened seven games into my career, so it kind of sucked.
Damn, Joe, are you surprised to hear a player talk like this? Yeah, especially when you young like that. You don't think like that when you have an injury at a young age, at 22, 23 The only thing you're thinking about is getting back to where you was, you know what I mean? Getting back to being elite, get back to being that running back who calls in hell back there. But to contemplate retirement, I don't know how much I'm rolling with that. That's very unusual. Very unusual. You play the game of football? Hello. Bro, you play football? You don't play golf? You don't play tennis?
You don't shoot pool? Play horseshoes?
Bro, you play football? It's a style.

**Iso Joe Johnson** (1:13)
A collision sport.

**Shannon Sharpe** (1:14)
Yeah. There are no winners in football. There are survivors in football.
And think about the type of running back he is. He's seeking contact.

**Iso Joe Johnson** (1:28)
Hell, ain't like he-

**Shannon Sharpe** (1:29)
He run the collision.

**Iso Joe Johnson** (1:30)
Yes. Yeah.

**Shannon Sharpe** (1:31)
That's what I'm saying. So for him to say that, I don't know, man. I don't know how much weight I'm putting into it. I don't even know if I'm really believing. I think when you young, you just have a- Yeah. I think he just said, oh, I thought about- How you think about retiring and you turning back? You coming off an injury and you turning back flips? Hell, you in the wrestling ring.

**Iso Joe Johnson** (1:47)
Hell. Yeah, thank you.

**Shannon Sharpe** (1:49)
Come on, man.
Nah, man. Man, these guys not just say anything like, oh my God, he was thinking about retiring. Hey, the way them New York fans get behind them Giants and the way Skattebo's scat pack was back there, that boy trying to get back on that field, man.

**Iso Joe Johnson** (2:09)
I don't believe it.

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:09)
Ocho, I don't know if you heard, but Cam Skattebo said that he told himself that if he ever got seriously injured, he would retire and he thought about retiring, but the injury happened six, seven games into his rookie season. So, but he's like, I gotta get back. And I'm like, and Joe and I was like, I don't know if I believe that because you played a game of football. What you mean if you suffer seriously?
You don't play golf. You don't play a sport that, that serious injuries don't happen. You play probably the sport that the most serious injuries happen. Definitely.

**Chad Johnson** (2:39)
I can see him thinking like that, thinking like that, but him actually executing and retiring, absolutely not. Now, not that early in your career. No, no. And he, one thing he did say, he said a serious injury, a serious injury will prevent you from coming back, you know? You know, breaking your ankle? Are you back, what, six months on control? Six months, something like that?

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:57)
Ocho, how your style of play is conducive for you getting injured?

**Iso Joe Johnson** (3:02)
He run the contact.

**Chad Johnson** (3:03)
On purpose.

**Iso Joe Johnson** (3:04)
He'll take it.

**Shannon Sharpe** (3:06)
It ain't like he buried, he'll boy, he trying to boy people. He hunt people.

**Iso Joe Johnson** (3:10)
He does.

**Chad Johnson** (3:11)
That's his style of play. And that's what makes him exciting too. The way he plays his game.

**Shannon Sharpe** (3:15)
Which leads to injury.

**Chad Johnson** (3:17)
Yeah, long as you got to learn to protect yourself. Pick and choose. Pick and choose your battles wisely. You don't have to do it all the time. Every so often, yes.

**Shannon Sharpe** (3:26)
My coach, Les Decker, used to tell me all the time, he'd say, son, you got to know when the journey's over.

**Chad Johnson** (3:30)
Yeah.

**Shannon Sharpe** (3:31)
It's okay. It's okay to get down. It's okay. It's okay to get out of bounds. I'm never going to question your toughness. You're here.
I don't see you go cross the middle. I don't see you take some shots. You don't have to worry about your coach questioning your toughness. Be smart. Don't take unnecessary punishment. Don't get stood up and them guys, and three or four guys hit you.