Matthew Stafford shares his side of viral photographer moment

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford went viral for what some saw as his nonchalant reaction to a photographer falling offstage at the team’s Super Bowl parade. Stafford revealed his side of what happened in a recent appearance on his wife’s podcast.

Stafford and his wife Kelly appeared on her “The Morning After” podcast, in which the quarterback responded to his reaction to Kelly Smiley’s fall.

“Yeah, I mean, that obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly, and wish I had a better reaction in the moment,” Stafford said, via Gina Vivinetto of Today. “I didn’t. I apologized to her for that, but glad that all in all she’s doing all right.”

Kelly Stafford added that her husband had been concerned in the moment, and also reached out to text Smiley.

“Long story short, we followed up with her,” Kelly Stafford said. “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, (she’s) not OK.”

Stafford certainly didn’t come away looking great, but he was not quite all there, as one of his peers noted. He did go out of his way to make a fairly significant gesture to help the photographer as well.

Photo: Dec 13, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports