Matthew Stafford Draws Ire for Reaction to Woman Falling off Stage During Super Bowl Celebration

Matthew Stafford took some heat on social media after a video circulated on social media of him walking away after watching a photographer fall off the stage during the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl celebration on Wednesday. The video of the incident appears to show Stafford seeing the woman and saying, “Oh my,” before walking away as he’s drinking his water bottle. 

Stafford’s wife Kelly was standing next to him and also saw the woman fall. After Stafford turned and walked away from the incident, Kelly walked towards the edge of the stage to check on the woman. The video cuts off and social media began to weigh in. “That’s a f—king a—hole move by the [Rams] [Stafford],” one person wrote. “Literally just walks away instead of helping someone up who fell (and ended up fracturing her spine). I lose hope in humanity by the day.”

Another person wrote: “He’s no doctor but at the very least he could have checked on her like a decent human being would have.” The woman who fell is Kelly Smiley, a photo editor for the NFL, NBA and NHL, according to her Twitter profile. She announced on Twitter that she fractured her spine after falling off the stage. A GoFundMe Page has been set up to help Smiley’s expenses. 

“Kelly took a heavy fall off the stage while covering the event, and it landed her in the hospital with a fractured spine,” page organizer Tim Kothlow wrote. “The funds raised by this gofundme will help cover Kelly’s growing medical expenses as well as replace the camera gear that was severely damaged due to her fall. Since Kelly is a working photographer, she needs this gear to help keep her working after fully recovering. Kelly is loved by all who know her and is a well-respected individual in the photography community. Please consider donating to this gofundme to help Kelly hit the ground running after she heals up.”

Stafford joined the Rams last year after spending 12 seasons as the Detroit Lions quarterback. Before this season, Stafford never won a playoff game and has now won four, including the Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams Super Bowl win is their first in Los Angeles and second overall as they won their first during the 1999 season when they were based in St. Louis.