Detroit Lions fans may miss Matthew Stafford, but many don’t necessarily miss his wife.
Speaking on “The Morning After” podcast, Kelly Stafford admitted that she has no interest in being at Sunday night’s Rams-Lions game due to past troubles with fans.
“Physically, I am not [attending the game in Detroit],” Kelly said. “After our amazing, amazing live show [on Sept. 7 in Detroit], I’m going to hop on a plane and head home so I can watch it with my daughters here, so that’s the plan.”
Matthew Stafford spent 12 seasons with the Lions before being traded to the Rams in 2021.
Last season’s Wild Card playoff game between the Rams and Lions left a sour taste in Kelly’s mouth.
While she made it clear she loves and respects the passion Detroit has for their Lions, she admitted that it wouldn’t be wise for her mental health to be in attendance this time around.
“The city wants to win. Everything is fair game… except the fans who booed my children,” Kelly wrote in a social media post following the playoff clash. “Other than that, I loved the atmosphere, and the booing just gave my husband more fire.”
Kelly explained that another reason for not attending the Week 1 showdown is that her daughters were not too excited to return to Detroit.
“I actually asked them if they wanted to go back… and they said ‘no.’ So that is another reason we won’t be returning for the game,” she said on the podcast.
She added that the decision was also made with her mental health in mind.
“There’s a lot that goes into it… but I just think it’s the better decision for my mental health and for my daughters,” she said. “My husband doesn’t want to have to hear me be, ‘Ugh,’ upset. Not that I think I would be because I also grew in that experience too.
“I have such good memories in that dome, and the last memory I have wasn’t that great, but it was still like, I got to see Detroit play a playoff game, which was really cool.”
Kelly also mentioned the emotional impact of hearing negative comments, despite the many fans who appreciated the Staffords’ time in Detroit.
“You always hear the worst ones. You don’t hear people that are like, ‘Thank you for all you do.’ You hear the ones that are like, ‘F*ck you, Kelly!’” she said.
“That’s what you hear, and that’s what you hold onto, and I don’t want to hold onto that. I’d rather watch it at home and remember all the incredible times I had there.”
The Staffords are parents to four daughters: 7-year-old twins Sawyer and Chandler, 6-year-old Hunter, and 4-year-old Tyler.
Kelly, a former Georgia cheerleader, will be in Detroit prior to the game for the first stop on her “Cleat Chaser” tour which concludes in New York on Dec. 21.
She humorously explained the origin of the tour’s name, sharing that she was labeled a “cleat chaser” after recalling how she once dated Stafford’s backup quarterback in college to make him jealous.
“I was called that after the recent situation, and I said, ‘Let’s lean into this,’” Kelly said. “It turns out it’s not all bad if you’re doing it for the right reasons… If you’re doing it to lock down a man for money or fame, not a fan of that.”
What are your thoughts on Kelly’s decision to not attend the game?
More importantly, what are your thoughts on the actual matchup?
It could very well be the best game of the entire Week 1 slate … Who do you see winning???