AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Robert Anthony Cruz knows a thing or two about backflips.
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ROBERT ANTHONY CRUZ: I do flips all the time - while catching a ball, mind you.
RASCOE: He often breaks out the moves on the field for the Savannah Bananas, a theatrical exhibition baseball team. But when he showed up for a live interview on CNN, things didn't go as planned.
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RASCOE: Oof. Cruz face-planted on the studio floor, leaving behind blood, losing a shoe and stunning the hosts. And of course, the video quickly went viral. Or, as Cruz said later on TikTok...
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CRUZ: Your boy is bouncing around the internet like a beach ball at a Nickelback concert. No offense, Nickelback. I love your stuff.
RASCOE: Coach RAC, as Robert Anthony Cruz is also called, revealed just how the stunt went wrong.
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CRUZ: I kind of just lost where I was in the air and wound up under-rotating. Plus, my feet slipped.
RASCOE: Like, on a banana peel? Savannah Bananas - get it? But Cruz took the fall like a champ.
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CRUZ: I ended up getting several stitches here in my lip and in my chin. But thank God, aside from my damaged pride, I didn't sustain any, like, actually serious injuries. One thing I will say - the dad lore is going to go crazy.
RASCOE: Now, don't worry - Cruz said he gave everyone permission to laugh. His fans on social media couldn't help but indulge while wishing him a speedy recovery.
(SOUNDBITE OF SMASH MOUTH SONG, "ALL STAR") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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