DETROIT – Kelly Stafford opened up for the first time about comments she made on the Los Angeles Rams locker room last week on her podcast.
Stafford spoke to Local 4′s Christy McDonald for an new episode of “A Conversation With,” exclusively available on Local 4+
Here’s what caused some controversy:
Last week, Kelly made headlines after she told her podcast audience that Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford was having trouble connecting with his younger Rams teammates.
“It’s kind of crazy, so Matthew’s been in the league for a long time,” Kelly said. “He’s like, ‘The difference in the locker room has changed so significantly,’ and they have a lot of rookies on their team this year, they’re very young.”
“… But, he’s like, ‘I feel like I can’t connect.’ Because in the old days, you’d come out of practice, you’d shower, people would be playing cards, people would be interacting. Who knows what they’re doing but they’re doing something together, they’re playing ping pong, they have a tournament going on, they’re at least talking. He said now, they get done with practice, get done meetings during training camp, and they go straight to their phones, like no one looks up from their phones.”
“They say ‘sir’ to him and shit, He’s like, ‘No, we’re on the same level here, we’re both playing in this league, let me get to know you,’” Kelly continued. “But he said it’s so different and it’s so hard to get to know these guys. He had a book printed out … of all the guys’ faces and their names. He’s like, ‘I need to know their names.’”
She added that the former Detroit Lions quarterback felt he didn’t know how to lead players he had no connection with, and was trying to find a way to do so.
“Probably the worst thing I’ve done when it comes to him”
On Thursday, in an interview with Local 4, Kelly said her decision to air that information was “probably the worst thing I’ve done when it comes to him (Matthew).”
“I spoke on a topic that I think, it’s relatable, to the fact that it’s hard to relate to someone who is ten years younger than you. And I do think that’s entirely true. But I’m not in an NFL locker room, I’m not spending every day with these teammates,” Kelly said.
“That was tough. I say all the time, probably not the best if your wife’s name is in the media, if it’s talking about sports. I felt pretty bad last week,” Kelly added. “I put my foot in my mouth pretty good last week.”
You can catch Christy’s full conversation with Kelly Stafford in a new edition of “A Conversation With,” available right here