The Los Angeles Rams Quarterback was under fire after he was seen turning his back and walking away instead of helping Kelly Smiley who fell from a platform in front of him.
- February 23, 2022
AceShowbiz - Matthew Stafford showed remorse about how he reacted to NFL photographer Kelly Smiley falling off a platform at the 2022 Super Bowl victory parade. In a new interview on his wife Kelly Stafford's podcast, he admitted that he should have reacted better.
During his appearance in the Tuesday, February 22 episode of "The Morning After Kelly Stafford" podcast, Matthew explained that the incident "happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly." He added, "I wish I had a better reaction in the moment. I didn't."
"I apologize to her for that. All in all, I'm glad she's doing alright," he continued. "One of those things that [you] try and train your actions to be a little bit better next time."
Kelly also recounted the "awful" moment before sharing her initial reaction to the unexpected and unplanned moment. "Matthew looked at me and said, 'Check her please,' and turned around," Kelly recalled. "I went straight to her. I could see that she was OK, kind of stayed there, went and got some help."
Kelly also noted that they sent the photographer, who fell while setting up a shot of the couple, flowers and checked in for updates. "The next day, we wake up, [she's] not OK. So Matthew actually texted her himself," Kelly explained. "And that's kind of where the story ended a bit. But I do know that the reaction that the world saw in that split second, I do know that's not what you wish would have been your reaction."
Prior to this, it was also reported that Los Angeles Rams, Matthew and his wife were paying for photographer Kelly Smiley's medical expenses and camera equipment after she fell and fractured her spine. "We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley ... and we are sorry for what happened," a statement read.
Matthew was under fire for his reaction to the scary fall. The NFL player could be seen gasping when it happened. However, instead of helping Kelly Smiley, he turned his back and walked away. In the meantime, the photographer deleted her Twitter account after she was dragged over her old racist and homophobic tweets.
