Matthew Stafford, Rams Release Statement On Photographer’s Scary Fall

Kelly Smiley won’t need to rely on a GoFundMe to pay for her impending hospital bills.

Smiley, a photo editor who covers three of the four major sports, fractured her spine Wednesday during the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship parade. The Los Angeles-based Smiley was backtracking on a podium while she took photos of Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, when she fell off the structure.

The Rams quarterback caught tons of heat for his involvement in the incident. Stafford immediately turned around after watching Smiley fall while his wife, at a minimum, looked down to see if the photog was OK. Roughly a day after the ordeal, the Staffords and the Rams released a joint statement.

“We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday’s incident and we are sorry for what happened,” the statement read, per CBS Los Angeles. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”

As of early Thursday evening, Smiley has not posted on social media about the offer from the Staffords and the Rams.