Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is catching heat for appearing to show a lack of empathy for a photographer who fell off a stage while taking a photo of Stafford and his wife.
The incident happened during a victory rally at the L.A. Coliseum to celebrate the Rams winning the Super Bowl on Sunday.
NFL photographer Kelly Smiley backed up to take a photo of Stafford and his wife, Kelly, on stage when she fell backwards off the 8-foot platform.
The normal, human reaction would be to check on the injured person. However, Stafford turned his back and walked away while taking a sip from a water bottle.
Stafford’s wife, Kelly, a former cheerleader who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019, showed a more human response by walking over to the edge of the stage to check on Smiley.
Smiley later took to social media to say she fractured her spine and was wearing a back brace. “Both my cameras broke but I’m ok,” she wrote.
Social media users ripped the narcissistic quarterback for walking away after Smiley fell.
One Twitter user wrote: “[He] turned around like nothing happened and walked away like nothing happened. Wow.”
Another user tweeted: “[T]here’s more footage, he does not a single thing while his wife was near the edge of the stage looking concerned. This doesn’t mean he’s a villain but definitely not a good look either.”
Rams team officials took to social media to issue a statement on behalf of Matthew and Kelly Stafford, saying they would pay all of Smiley’s hospital bills and purchase new camera equipment for the injured photographer.
Watch the video below.
