Matthew Stafford expressed remorse over his now-viral reaction to photographer Kelly Smiley’s fall during the Rams’ Super Bowl victory parade in Los Angeles last week.
During an appearance Tuesday on wife Kelly’s podcast, “The Morning After,” the couple discussed the incident, in which Smiley is seen falling from a platform while appearing to take a photo of the two. In videos that then surfaced online, the Rams quarterback, 34, is seen walking away moments later.
“We can’t not talk about what happened,” Kelly began. “There was a photographer, who stepped off the back of the stage, had asked it we wanted a picture and I was like, ‘Yes,’ because looking back at my camera roll, I have literally zero of Matthew and I.
“When she offered, she steped back and fell. And it was an awful, awful moment. Matthew looked at me and said, ‘Check her please,’ and turned around,” she continued.
Kelly said she went “straight to” Smiley, and “could see that she was OK.” The mother of four added that she “kind of stay there,” and also got some help.
“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,” Kelly explained.
In social media posts, Smiley revealed that she had fractured her spine as a result of the fall. Kelly added Tuesday on her podcast how “Matthew actually texted her himself” following the incident to check in.
The couple then shifted gears to Stafford’s rection viral reaction.
“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,” Kelly said.
Stafford then replied, “Yeah, I mean, that obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly, and wish I had a better reaction in the moment.”
The quarterback said he apologized to Smiley over his reaction, adding, “One of those things you try to train your reactions to be a little bit better next time.”
Both the Staffords and the Rams announced they would cover her expenses, telling People in a statement: “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
Earlier this month, Stafford helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl win over the Bengals, his first championship title in his 13-year career. He previously played 12 seasons for the Lions before being traded to the Rams last January.
