Rams' Matthew Stafford reflects on reaction to NFL photographer fall: 'That obviously happened really quickly'

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford expressed his regret on Tuesday with how he reacted to an NFL photographer falling off the stage during the team’s Super Bowl parade last week, saying he wished he had a "better reaction." 

Stafford, who took home the Lombardi Trophy with the Rams this season after 12 trying years with the Detroit Lions, joined his wife, Kelly Stafford, on her podcast "The Morning After" to discuss his viral reaction to Kelly Smiley’s fall off the stage, which left the photographer with a fractured spine. 

RAMS, STAFFORD TO PAY HOSPITAL BILLS AND BROKEN CAMERA COSTS OF NFL PHOTOGRAPHER KELLY SMILEY 

"We can’t not talk about what happened," Kelly Stafford said on the podcast. "There was a photographer, who stepped off the back of the stage, had asked if we wanted a picture, and I was like, ‘Yes,’ because looking back at my camera roll, I have literally zero of Matthew and I."

Matthew Stafford (left) and Andrew Whitworth (center) of the Los Angeles Rams celebrate during the Super Bowl LVI Victory Parade on Feb. 16, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

"When she offered, she stepped back and fell," she continued. "It was an awful, awful moment. Matthew looked at me and said, ‘Check her please,’ and turned around."

Kelly Stafford said she went straight over to Smiley and initially "could see that she was OK."  

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"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."

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford during the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl LVI Championship parade on Feb. 16, 2022, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.  (Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Kelly Stafford went on to say that the quarterback texted Smiley, but his reaction had already gone viral at that point. 

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"That obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly, and I wish I had a better reaction in the moment," he said. "I didn’t apologize to her for that, but glad that all in all she’s doing alright. It’s one of those things that you try and train your reactions to be a little bit better next time." 

Matthew Stafford (left center) of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates on stage during the Super Bowl LVI Victory Parade on Feb. 16, 2022, in Los Angeles, California.  ( Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Matthew Stafford and the Rams announced they will pay the medical costs for Smiley and replace her broken cameras after falling off the stage, which appeared to be about 6 feet off the ground.