Model Christen Harper, who is engaged to Lions quarterback Jared Goff, received a text message from Kelly Stafford, the wife of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, after she was jeered on the sidelines during Detroit’s 24-23 wild-card victory against Los Angeles on Sunday.
During the most recent episode of her podcast “The Morning After,” Kelly stated, “Actually, I was texting Christen Harper this morning.”
“And I said, ‘You want your fans to be that enthusiastic.'” It is what you desire. Hell sure, if they are your fans, you want to be on the right side of it, but not the opposite side! Come on, let’s go!
When Stafford played home games at Ford Field during his 12-year career with the Lions—who selected him with the first overall choice in the 2009 NFL Draft—Kelly was talking about the conduct of the fans there.
While going on the sidelines with her daughters, Tyler, 3, Hunter, 5, and the 6-year-old twins Sawyer and Chandler, Kelly described being heckled by some Lions fans. She also mentioned that Hunter began to weep.
She also remembered the jeers Stafford faced as he stepped onto the field in Detroit and the time he was carted to the medical tent after taking a severe hit in the third quarter.
Kelly remarked, “Listen, did I think we were going to walk in there and Matthew was going to get a standing ovation? Absolutely not.” “There is not a chance.
“I believe that in this situation, you hear the jeers. Nothing can compete with their volume. However, this is a football playoff game. We are approaching as the adversaries. It’s okay that you were explicitly jeering at my spouse while he ran on the field. That’s alright with me. I want no justifications offered.
She went on, “My girls and I are not playing the game.” “My girls are getting booed, I am, and I can handle it, but there is something to say, like, maybe not, when my girls are next to me.”
Kelly revealed that she encountered jeers when she went to the Lions sidelines to speak with Martha Ford, the team’s owner.
Hunter, according to her, was crying. “I say, ‘Hey guys, they’re booing mommy, not you. They desire victory for their Lions.
“.. Sawyer said, “Well, we’re not playing the sport,” and I responded, “That’s absolutely true, Sawyer, but the reason they’re booing is because mommy’s been involved in a lot of things here.”
Kelly also voiced her displeasure with Stafford’s post-game press conference, during which, following the Lions’ first postseason victory in thirty-two years, he was asked about his feelings toward the people of Detroit in light of his past.
I’m happy for the players,” Stafford said. “I’m happy for those guys.”
Kelly disagreed with some who thought Stafford’s response was a jab at the city of Detroit.
“My spouse is a human being,” she stated, addressing the circumstance. You gave him five minutes to process the fact that his team was eliminated from the playoffs, but you don’t think he heard the jeers and applause when he was on the ground, even if he did. He did, I’m sure of it.
“He’s a competitor as well, and he’s upset that they lost that game right now. You allow him five minutes to process that, and then you ask him that question?
“There isn’t a single quarterback that is being questioned if they’re glad for the other city. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask. My husband doesn’t care if it’s for the city or not.
It’s a matter of letting him respond to the question after giving him a moment to process what the f–k just happened. I felt it was an excellent response. Would you like him to give a hearty cheer for the citizens of the city right now? It’s beyond my imagination.
Stafford went 25 of 36 for 367 yards and two touchdowns while playing with a bandaged hand from breaking it open in a contact with a defender’s helmet.
Before the Lions removed them from the regular season, the Rams finished with a 10-7 record.
On January 21, Detroit, who hadn’t triumphed in a postseason game since 1992, will play home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round.
On Monday, the Bucs easily defeated the Eagles 32–9 in the wild-card round.
