Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was regretful when discussing his reaction to a photographer who fell off the stage and fractured her spine during the team’s Super Bowl parade last week.
Appearing on his wife’s podcast, “The Morning After,” on Tuesday, the 34-year-old quarterback said he wishes he would have handled the situation differently.
“That obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly, and I wish I had a better reaction in the moment,” he said.
Kelly Smiley, a photographer on the stage at the LA Rams Super Bowl celebration, takes a step back and plummets to the ground fracturing her spine. Quarterback Matthew Stafford sees it happen, turns his back, and walks away. pic.twitter.com/9K7IrGCHLa
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 17, 2022
The video of Stafford walking away after seeing the photographer, Kelly Smiley, take a scary fall off a stage went viral during the team’s parade. A few hours later, Smiley tweeted that the fall fractured her spine, and many online criticized the quarterback for his seemingly callous reaction.
Stafford and his wife, Kelly, then released a statement the following day that they would cover all of Smiley’s medical expenses as well as replacements for her broken cameras.
“As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery,” the statement read.
Kelly Stafford explained the interaction with the photographer in greater detail on the podcast.
“She had asked if we wanted a picture, and I was like ‘Yes.’ … When she offered, she stepped back and fell. And it was an awful, awful moment. Matthew looked at me and said, ‘Check her please,’ and turned around.
“We followed up with her. The moment we got in the car, Matthew actually looked at me and said, ‘Hey, will you contact the Rams, ask how she’s doing?’ Did that, they’re like, ‘We think she’s going to be OK.’ We sent her flowers. Next day we wake up, not OK.”
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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