On Thursday, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford"s wife, Kelly walked back her recent comments regarding her husband"s rapport with rookies on the team.
Last Tuesday, on her podcast, “The Morning After With Kelly Stafford," she initially expressed concerns about Matthew"s difficulty connecting with the younger players in the locker room.
Kelly Stafford also highlighted that despite Matthew"s efforts to foster camaraderie, the rookies still regarded him with a level of deference, addressing him as “sir" and maintaining a certain level of distance. Matthew even took the extraordinary step of having a book printed with the faces and names of all the rookies to facilitate conversations and build chemistry.
“They say ‘sir" to him and s***," Mrs. Stafford said. He"s like, ‘No, we"re on the same level here, we"re both playing in the league. Let me get to know you." He said it"s so different and so hard to get to know these guys. He had a book printed out. He had the equipment guy get a book printed of all their faces, and all their names, cause he"s like, ‘I need to know their names. We need to talk, so I"m gonna find their names and I"m gonna say, Hey so-and-so, how was your weekend? So, they know I know them and maybe we should get to know each other so there"s chemistry on the field.'"
However, it appears that Kelly Stafford now regrets her comments.
In an interview with Christy McDonald from Local 4, she expressed remorse for her earlier remarks, referring to them as “probably the worst thing I"ve done when it comes to [Stafford]."
She acknowledged the unintended consequences of her words, recognizing that they might not have had the desired effect.
“That was tough. I say all the time, probably not the best if your wife"s name is in the media, if it"s talking about sports. I felt pretty bad last week. I put my foot in my mouth pretty good last week."
Kelly Stafford explained her original intention was to shed light on the challenge of connecting with individuals significantly younger than oneself. She emphasized that while this may be a common experience for many, she does not have firsthand knowledge of the dynamics within an NFL locker room, nor does she spend every day with her husband"s teammates.
“I spoke on a topic that I think, it"s relatable, to the fact that it"s hard to relate to someone who is 10 years younger than you. And I do think that"s entirely true. But I"m not in an NFL locker room, I"m not spending every day with these teammates."
Stafford was selected by the Detroit Lions as the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Following an 11-year stint with the Lions, he was part of a trade deal with the Rams on March 18, 2021, which also included Jared Goff.
As of now, Stafford is 35 years old and embarking on his 15th NFL season.
