Matthew Stafford knows this wasn't his best play call.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback made headlines at the 2022 Super Bowl victory parade after NFL photographer Kelly Smiley fell off a platform while setting up a shot of the NFL player and his wife Kelly Stafford.
After some questioned Matthew's reaction to the moment, the 34-year-old expressed regret during the Feb. 22 episode of The Morning After With Kelly Stafford podcast. As he explained, the incident "happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly."
"I wish I had a better reaction in the moment. I didn't," he said. "I apologize to her for that. All in all, I'm glad she's doing alright. One of those things that [you] try and train your actions to be a little bit better next time."
Matthew's wife also recounted the "awful" moment and shared her initial reaction to the unexpected and unplanned moment.
"Matthew looked at me and said, ‘Check her please,' and turned around," Kelly recalled. "I went straight to her. I could see that she was OK, kind of stayed there, went and got some help."
According to Kelly, they followed up with the photographer the moment they got into the car after the parade. They also sent her flowers and personally checked in for updates.
"The next day, we wake up, [she's] not OK. So Matthew actually texted her himself," Kelly said. "And that's kind of where the story ended a bit. But I do know that the reaction that the world saw in that split second, I do know that's not what you wish would have been your reaction."
The NFL photographer previous said on Twitter that she suffered injuries to her spine and also broke her two cameras. The Staffords and Rams have since offered to help cover costs.
"We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday's incident and we are sorry for what happened," Matthew, Kelly and the Los Angeles Rams said in a statement on Feb. 17. "As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery."