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John Harbaugh backs Cam Skattebo, rips NFL for controversial flag: 'That's the way you're supposed to run'

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Cite

Thompson, S. (2026, October 27). John Harbaugh backs Cam Skattebo, rips NFL for controversial flag: 'That's the way you're supposed to run'. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/john-harbaugh-backs-cam-skattebo-rips-nfl-controversial-flag-way-youre-supposed-run

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Fox News · collected 2026-10-27 · by Scott Thompson

Quick Summary

John Harbaugh defended his player Cam Skattebo after Skattebo was penalized for a hit that sent M.J. Stewart of the Houston Texans to the turf during a game on Sunday. Skattebo argued against the penalty, saying he will continue to play how he wants despite potential repercussions. Harbaugh supported Skattebo’s running style, which involves lowering his shoulder and head for protection, calling it "the way you’re supposed to run." He challenged the NFL's stance on the incident during a Monday press conference.
Written by AI on 2026-10-27, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Cam Skattebo, a running back for the New York Giants, received a penalty for unnecessary roughness during a game against the Houston Texans on Sunday. The incident occurred when Skattebo lowered his helmet and ran into M.J. Stewart, a safety from Houston, resulting in a flag being thrown by officials. Despite the penalty, John Harbaugh, the Giants' head coach, expressed support for Skattebo's style of play during an interview with reporters on Monday, criticizing the NFL for penalizing such aggressive running tactics that are common in the league. The controversial call has sparked debate about enforcement consistency within football regulations.

Written for “Giants Player Penalized For Hit” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Giants Player Penalized For Hit
Sports · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Fox News
Hedges 5 of 24 claims Outlet record 68/100
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different incidents related to John Harbaugh and the Giants, with Article A focusing on a celebratory moment after a game against the Texans, while Article B discusses Harbaugh's reaction to a controversial penalty call.”
Fox News
Hedges 4 of 31 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles cover different aspects of events related to John Harbaugh and Cam Skattebo but describe separate occurrences: one is about Harbaugh's post-game comments on credit for the win, while the other involves a controversial call during the game.”
Fox News
Hedges 3 of 43 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different teams and incidents involving separate players criticizing NFL officiating.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Cam Skattebo's controversial penalty and fine for using his helmet against M.J. Stewart, Article A focuses on Harbaugh's support of Skattebo and the immediate aftermath of the call during the game, whereas Article B specifically reports on the subsequent fine imposed by the NFL.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
30
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
2 of 30 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
68/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-27 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6507 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Scott Thompson
83 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 It was widely expected that would be the case, though, as the official top 25 rankings for the playoffs were released on Tuesday night.
🔮 As a standout at Colorado, he had tremendous arm talent, but also possessed the speed and agility to be a "Hall of Fame wide receiver," which he said the Steelers told him he could be.
🔮 But the Bears, led by head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, don’t seem to care where their games are held each week.
🔮 But, while the Brewers relish their first-ever title, all 29 other MLB teams might be trying to rethink how to play the game itself after "Brewer Ball" took over this season.
🔮 On the ice, the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks will debut their new threads on Monday night, while each club will wear their respective Hometown Remix uniforms several times throughout the remainder of the season.
🔮 Bill Belichick, the day his UNC Tar Heels were set to face the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes in Chapel Hill, was the center of more off-field noise regarding his relationship.
🔮 If Colorado was able to find the end zone on the ensuing possession, they would snap that losing streak and finally get that first conference win of the year.
🔮 It seems the Indianapolis Colts are indeed willing to talk about trading running back Jonathan Taylor after all.
🔮 I was pretty confident I could get that done after this morning.
🔮 We lost a true legend today, but I will spend the rest of my career trying to honor his legacy, his passion for this university and the Aloha he shared with everyone he touched.
Also by Scott Thompson
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 83 articles by Scott Thompson →

Topics

FOX FOX News NFL the Houston Texans the New York Giants’

Subjects

Skattebo PERSON · 7× Harbaugh PERSON · 6× NFL ORG · 4× Cam Skattebo PERSON · 1× FOX ORG · 1× FOX News ORG · 1× John Harbaugh PERSON · 1× Texans NORP · 1× the Houston Texans ORG · 1× the New York Giants’ ORG · 1×

Narrative

On Monday during time with reporters, Harbaugh was asked about what he said to the official during his own heated exchange in the moment after holding back Skattebo, who was livid with the official as he came off the field.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-27
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Claims (30 extracted, 2 hedged)

Cam Skattebo shared his thoughts on a controversial unnecessary roughness call against him in the New York Giants’ win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. asserted
Skattebo → share → Sunday
His head coach, John Harbaugh, shared the same sentiment. asserted
coach → share → sentiment
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. uncertain
page → contain → partners
If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. uncertain
News → sign → wager
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom. asserted
that → create → newsroom
Skattebo ripped the NFL after officials assessed a 15-yard penalty against him after lowering his shoulder into Texans safety M.J. Stewart, delivering a forceful blow that sent him to the turf. asserted
that → rip → turf
"I will say, man, the NFL loves to post me when I do stuff like that, but then also wants to take stuff from me," he said after a game where he ran for over 120 yards with a touchdown. asserted
he → say → touchdown
"So, I mean, I’m going to run the ball like I want to run the ball, and if I’m going to continue to get flagged or it or fined for it, man, I guess I’m going to play for free." asserted
I → mean → it
On Monday during time with reporters, Harbaugh was asked about what he said to the official during his own heated exchange in the moment after holding back Skattebo, who was livid with the official as he came off the field. asserted
he → ask → field
"Did you see me after the play expressing my opinion? asserted
me → see → opinion
That’s how I felt about it," he said. asserted
he → ’ → it
Harbaugh admitted he understood the idea of why a yellow flag landed on the turf at NRG Stadium after seeing the hit. asserted
flag → admit → hit
The NFL is always trying to crack down on helmet-to-helmet contact, and the official thought that Skattebo led with the crown of his helmet when he hit Stewart. asserted
he → try → Stewart
Harbaugh saw it differently. asserted
Harbaugh → see → it
"I also understand human physiology and anatomy and the way the body works," he said. asserted
he → understand → physiology
"Skat runs low. asserted
Skat → run → ?
You have to run low. asserted
You → have → ?
"You have to run low to protect the football. asserted
You → have → football
You have to run low to protect your body. asserted
You → have → body
You can’t run in there and give tacklers your chest. asserted
You → run → chest
When you run low, your head’s down there, too. asserted
head → run → ?
You can’t move your head off your shoulders. asserted
You → move → shoulders
It’s a physical impossibility." asserted
It → ’ → ?
Harbaugh added that he didn’t believe his running back was "trying to use his helmet as a weapon, as a battering ram." asserted
back → add → ram
Skattebo certainly enjoys initiating contact. asserted
Skattebo → enjoy → contact
In fact, Skattebo was featured in multiple commercials during the broadcast where he is seen running through walls and other objects because, well, that’s his thing. asserted
that → feature → walls
Ultimately, Harbaugh believes Skattebo’s running style is "the way you’re supposed to run. asserted
you → believe → ?
" "That’s how you protect yourself and the football," he said. asserted
he → ’ → yourself
It’s old school, it’s punishing, and it’s what helped the Giants pick up a win on Sunday, just as it has in past games. asserted
it → ’ → games
So, Harbaugh begs the question for the NFL: How should Skattebo be running through the trenches? asserted
Skattebo → beg → trenches
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