Matthew Stafford, his wife Kelly, and the Los Angeles Rams will cover the medical expenses for the photographer who suffered an injury after falling off the stage during the rally portion of the team’s Super Bowl LVI victory festivities on Wednesday.
Kelly Smiley, a photo editor for the NFL, NHL, and NBA, was stepping backwards to take a picture of Stafford when she fell off the stage. The incident, which was captured on video, shows Stafford turning in the opposite direction as Kelly checks in on Smiley, who later revealed that she fractured her spine.
She said her cameras also broke after she plummeted a reported 10 feet to the ground.
People online were bothered that Matthew’s immediate response was to walk away from the situation.
The Staffords released a statement announcing they will take care of the woman’s hospitals bills. “We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday’s incident and we are sorry for what happened,” their statement reads. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
Tim Kothlow, a friend of Smiley, launched a GoFundMe to cover the medical fees and the cost of new cameras. As of this writing, donations are sitting at just over $45,000, far exceeding the goal of $30,000
