While the Los Angeles Rams celebrated their Super Bowl victory on Wednesday and the dozens and dozens of LA fans had a great time, it ended up being a disaster of a day for photographer Kelly Smiley, who fell off a stage while trying to take photos of quarterback Matthew Stafford and wife Kelly.
Adding literal insult to injury, video of the incident appeared to show Stafford witnessing the fall and then walking away instead of helping Smiley.
Stafford saw her fall and told Kelly to take care of it pic.twitter.com/FmzGJNZQXf
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 17, 2022
Not a great look and Stafford took a beating on social media for his perceived indifference, even if he was probably not in the ideal mindset to do anything about it. Even worse, Smiley followed up on social media to let people know that she had fractured her spine in the fall.
https://twitter.com/kellysmiley23/status/1494165491224481792
A GoFundMe page was set up to help with Smiley’s recuperation with a goal of $30,000, though at the time of this writing the total raised had surged past $46,000. While that’s fantastic news, it looks like that money might be saved to help with other needs as the Rams and the Staffords announced Thursday that they would pay the photographer’s medical bills and replace her cameras.
Rams’ QB Matthew and Kelly Stafford announced they will be covering the medical expenses for Kelly Smiley, who fell off a stage during Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade and fractured her spine: “We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley … and we are sorry for what happened.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 17, 2022
“We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday’s incident and we are sorry for what happened,” the Rams and the Staffords said in a statement. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
Indeed, here’s to a fast recovery for Smiley so she can get back to her jobs with the NFL, NHL, and NBA.
[ESPN]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.