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Robert Anthony Cruz isn’t letting a live TV mishap keep him down!
The Savannah Bananas star, 26, attempted to perform his signature backflip during an appearance on CNN’s News Central on Thursday, July 24. However, after he launched himself into the air, the stunt went horribly wrong and left him face-planting the studio floor live on TV.
Co-host Kate Bolduan could be heard gasping, “Oh, Jesus,” just moments before Cruz, also known as Coach RAC, slammed to the floor.
“That never happens,” Cruz said as he slowly got up.
Co-host John Berman poked fun at the situation, saying, “That … what you just saw there is a brand new twist on America’s favorite pastime.”
Cruz took the mishap in his stride as he shared the clip on his Instagram alongside an update.
“The sound makes it 10x funnier. Yes, you have my permission to laugh. Yes, I’m all good 😂😭,” he captioned the post. “Some stitches, slightly damaged pride, and some unparalleled dad lore.”
Commenters wished him a speedy recovery but confessed they found his failed backflip amusing.
“Glad you’re okay. Sorry I’m laughing,” one person wrote, while another joked, “The faceplant heard round the world.”
In a video on his Instagram Stories, the outfielder can be seen with a busted lip while resting in bed.
“Hey guys, for the record, you have my full permission to laugh,” he said. “I can’t laugh every time I watch it, too. The sound, it’s crazy.”
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Robert Anthony Cruz/Instagram
Cruz explained further how the stunt went wrong in an Instagram Reel.
The baseball star said he was running on four hours of sleep after arriving in New York at around 2 a.m. following a few days at a camp for kids in Houston.
Having been asked if he had any tricks to perform, Cruz decided on his signature backflip to amaze the CNN audience. He said it’s a stunt that he performs “all the time” and sometimes does even while catching a ball.
“I had zero reason to doubt my abilities,” he said in his Instagram Reel. “Anyways, I’m standing on the stage. I get the countdown and I’m like, okay, it’s time.
“I send the flip and next thing I know I am on the floor and I am rattled,” he continued. “I was pretty confused, my mic pack fell out of my pocket, my shoe flew off my foot. I don’t even know how that happened.”
Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Cruz confessed that he felt bad for the news anchors as they had to continue the show without laughing at his accidental fall.
He initially felt fine and wanted to go ahead with being interviewed before noticing that he was now covered in blood.
The Savannah Bananas star had to get “several stitches” in his lip and chin but didn’t suffer any serious injuries.
“In hindsight, when you do a flip, you are looking for the ground while you’re rotating,” he said. “I remember jumping back and seeing a bright light in my face and the floor itself was very light.
“I kind of just lost where I was in the air and wound up under-rotating, also my feet slipped,” he concluded.
