Kelly Stafford just wants to have a good life with the man she fell in love with and not see him suffer. More than a week after Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was placed into concussion protocol, his wife is speaking out and sharing new insight into why brain health needs to be a priority in the NFL.
On Tuesday, Kelly said she didn’t fall in love with Matthew the football player. Instead, she fell in love with a man who would be a great dad.
“I truly love watching my husband compete and do something he loves,” Kelly Stafford said. “It’s what gives him joy, therefore it gives me joy. But would I give it up in a heartbeat? 1,000 percent. I’d give up the football, the money, the fame, everything. I don’t need that. I just need the man I fell in love with to be the same man for my kids and the life that we are going to live.”
“I fell in love with Matthew because he was funny, witty, cute and a little chubby and kind and patient and just f–king smart. It’s scary to think that Matthew may not be around.”
As she began to break down even more, she spoke on how players have killed themselves because of CTE and how she would would drop to her knees to beg him to retire.
“And I’m not saying like it’s not, you know, but you see all these hits these guys take and as the people who love and adore them outside of them being a football player wonder. You see the CTE later on in life. You see these guys taking their own lives because they’re unhappy and they don’t know why. And then you find come to find out they have CTE.
That’s here’s the fuck out of me. And you know, if I knew that it wouldn’t completely destroy Matthew because I know he’s not ready to give it up. I would ask him to. I would get on my hands and knees and beg him.”
Kelly also took to Instagram this week and posted a message to the league regarding playing surfaces.
“@nfl do something,” Kelly Stafford wrote. “Show that you wanna make it better for future generations. Saying it doesn’t matter what these men play on is complete negligence on your part.”
Kelly has also had scary health issues in the past. Kelly Stafford was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019.
Kelly, who has been married to the Super Bowl LVI champion since 2015, underwent surgery to have it removed and has since been cancer free.
This season, Stafford has completed 68.4% of his passes for 1,928 yards and eight touchdowns with eight interceptions.
