Matthew Stafford Will Cover Hospital Bills & Camera Costs After Photographer Fractures Spine

Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams were met by legions of fans for a parade to celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LVI. Photographer Kelly Smiley tripped while appearing to take a photo of Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly Stafford. The fall resulted in her fracturing her spine.

Kelly Smiley accidentally walked backward off the front of the stage while snapping pics and fell on the ground 10 feet below. Matthew Stafford was caught on camera, walking away as the photographer fell. Stafford’s insensitive reaction received a lot of criticism from fans online.

A GoFundMe was set up by a close friend of Kelly Smiley to help raise money for her medical expenses and to replace the damaged camera gear. It’s currently at $41,000 and climbing. Now, Stafford and the Rams have also joined hands to help the photographer out.

The Rams and Staffords released a joint statement on Thursday. The statement said they have been in constant contact with the photographer. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.” read the statement.

It’s unclear what will happen to the GoFundMe set up for Kelly as it quickly reached its goal. We hope Kelly Smiley recovers soon. Its great to see she has gotten the support she needs.

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