Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, his wife Kelly, and the NFL team are paying medical bills for a photographer who fell off stage in front of the Staffords during the Super Bowl champion team’s celebration Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The former Georgia QB has been criticized on social media for turning away from the incident while his wife rushed to help.
Kelly Smiley, a photographer on the stage at the LA Rams Super Bowl celebration, takes a step back and plummets to the ground fracturing her spine. Quarterback Matthew Stafford sees it happen, turns his back, and walks away. pic.twitter.com/9K7IrGCHLa
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 17, 2022
Photographer Kelly Smiley says she broke her spine. Video shows Smiley setting up to take a photo when she falls backwards off the stage. Matthew Stafford and his wife Kelly see her fall, and Kelly Stafford rushes to help her while Matthew Stafford appears to express surprise and turns around while taking a drink of water.
“We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday’s incident and we are sorry for what happened,” a statement from the Rams and Staffords read. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
Smiley is a photographer for the Rams and NFL, according to her social media bios.
“I unfortunately fractured my spine today,” she wrote on Instagram. She later wrote that she was “feeling ok” and shared a GoFundMe page for her treatment. Both of her cameras were broken in the fall, she said.
