Rams QB Matthew Stafford apos;s Wife Slams NFL Over Concussion Protocol
De Wikifliping
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, revealed she was left concerned and angry after her husband entered concussion protocol as she urged the NFL to improve its care of players.
The Super Bowl-winning quarterback, 34, Tuesday afternoon after consultation with the Rams' medical staff, the team confirmed Wednesday.
Following the announcement , his wife Kelly, 33, took to her 'Morning After' podcast's Instagram profile to share what a 'big deal' the situation is for her.
'If you follow NFL, you just heard Matthew got put into concussion protocol,' she posted to an Instagram story.
'If you have listened to my podcast at all, you know how a big a deal it is to me.
The head is not something to be messed with…and I hope as this sport develops, so does the concern for head health and the research around it.'
Rams coach Sean McVay revealed that medics questioned Stafford following Sunday's at Tampa Bay and concurred that concussion protocol was 'the appropriate thing'.
LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly (right), has slammed the NFL after her husband was placed in concussion protocol this week
The Super Bowl winner entered the protocol Tuesday following the Rams' loss on Sunday
Kelly took to Instagram to share a statement expressing how 'angry and concerned' she was
It is unclear whether Stafford will be ready to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals as the Rams are taking it 'day-by-day'.
Kelly, who shares four daughters with the quarterback, twins Chandler and Sawyer, 5, Hunter, 3, and Tyler, 2, revealed she was 'not okay' and emotional.
'I have every emotion running through me.
Concerned, angry, sad, tired…all of them,' she continued.
The Georgia native continued to voice her concerns for player safety in the NFL on her personal Instagram account.
RELATED ARTICLES
Share this article
Share
125 shares
She called for better safety precautions, including switching turf for grass, as she reposted a message that Green Bay Packers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell wrote on Twitter.
Campbell's tweet read: 'I think it's time y'all take some of the money y'all make off us and invest in grass fields for every team around the league.
The turf is literally like concrete. It has no give when you plant @NFL.'
The former UGA cheerleader wholeheartedly agreed with Campbell's message with a statement of her own in the caption.
She wrote: 'Yes.
Yes. Yes. One million yes's.
The Georgia native also reported a Tweet from Green Bay Packers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell that called for the League to switch out turf as it is like 'concrete'
The former cheerleader wholeheartedly agreed with the message calling for change
The 33-year-old regularly attends her husband's games with the four daughters
The couple share twins Chandler and Sawyer (top and bottom right), 5, Hunter (top left), 3, and Tyler (bottom left), 2,
'There should be no more turf for the health of these players.
Not just their limbs, but more importantly their head health. There is a big difference when a helmet hits grass than when it hits turf.
'If the nfl won't mandate it or owners are not willing to do it, then guarantee player contracts, so if injury does occur due to negligence, they are taken care of.
'Matthew's generation will probably never see this change...but for the health of these future players, @nfl needs to get this done.'
Kelly is no stranger to head-related injuries of her own. She had surgery in 2019 to remove a brain tumor.
Then just 29, she revealed on Instagram that she'd been suffering months of vertigo spells before being diagnosed with a noncancerous mass known as an acoustic neuroma, which was sitting on a nerve that emerges directly from the brain.
In 2019, she revealed on Instagram that she'd been suffering months of vertigo spells before being diagnosed with a noncancerous mass known as an acoustic neuroma
She underwent the 12-hour procedure.
Days later, she was back in the hospital in pain
Months later, she was still learning how to walk again, but she praised Matthew for his support
The tumor is caused by a mutation of a gene on chromosome 22, but what causes the mutation is unclear.
According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, about 2,500 new patients are diagnosed every year.
In April 2019, she underwent the 12-hour procedure. Days later, she was back in the hospital in pain.
Recovery wasn't easy and in September 2020, she revealed she was still learning to walk again.
'I have symptoms that are still lingering.
In fact, they aren't symptoms anymore. They are just a part of me,' Kelly explained via Instagram at the time.
'But every time I get those headaches, BB Titans (https://www.feedsfloor.com/profile/bbtitans) lose my footing or get yelled at by my girls for not listening when I really never heard them, I remind myself how much stronger I am.
How much stronger my marriage is. How much stronger my family is. It was a part of God's plan, a plan I am all in for. Grateful to be here.'
But she continued to improve, and in March 2020, the couple announced that they were expecting their fourth child.
Stafford, née Hall, has long been cheering her husband on, starting out as a cheerleader to his football player at UGA.
Following her recovery, the couple announced they were expecting their fourth child in 2020
Kelly and their daughters regularly turn out in team colors to cheer on Stafford and the Rams
She has long been cheering her husband on, starting out as a cheerleader to his football player
Kelly comes from a football family and was a cheerleader at the University of Georgia
She comes from a football family: Her older brother, Chad Hall, was an NFL receiver and is now the Buffalo Bills' wide receivers coach.
The pair were together when Matthew was drafted first overall by the Lions in 2009, with Kelly entering the workforce as a nurse.
Matthew proposed in 2014, and in 2015 the lovebirds tied the knot at the Foundry at Puritan Mill in Atlanta, Georgia.
The extravagant affair included personalized neon trucker hats for guests, as well as a Nike shoe bar — the brand sponsors Matthew — which gave out free shoes to everyone in attendance.
She previously praised her husband for sticking by her throughout her diagnosis, writing at the time: 'Thank you, Matthew.
Thank you for taking care of me and our family and always putting us first. Thank you for always being my rock and keeping me at ease during the toughest time of my life.
'I'm lucky to know you and the man you are … but mostly, I'm lucky you chose me to do life with.
Thank you.'
