Matthew Stafford Under Fire For Turning His Back On Injured Woman

LOS ANGELES, CA — The boisterous Rams Super Bowl rally took an unexpected turn Wednesday when an NFL photographer took an 8-foot fall off the stage as quarterback Matthew Stafford looked on but seemingly failed to offer aid.

Now, the Super Bowl champ is facing criticism for turning his back on the injured woman, Kelly Smiley who suffered a broken spine in the fall. Friends of the freelance photographer on Thursday worked to raise funds to help cover her ongoing hospital stay. Amid the backlash, Stafford issued a statement Thursday afternoon apologizing and announcing his intention to cover the photographer's medical bills.

"We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday's incident and we are sorry for what happened. As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras," the Rams and the Staffords said in a joint statement." We wish her a speedy recovery."

The entire incident was captured on video posted to Twitter, subjecting the star quarterback to social media scorn in dramatic contrast to the cheering by throngs of Rams fans during the victory parade.

The video shows Smiley standing in front of Stafford to shoot him from the edge of the stage outside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum when suddenly she falls backward off the 8-foot-tall stage. Stafford looks on in surprise, but quickly turns his back and walks away to sip from a water bottle. His wife Kelly Stafford rushes to the edge of the stage to check on the injured woman.

Smiley was taken to a hospital, and she wrote on Twitter that "both my cameras broke but I'm ok." But three hours later, she tweeted, "Unfortunately I fractured my spine."

Smiley is a freelance photographer who does work for the NFL, NBA and NHL.

Tim Kothlow, NFL photo editor, established a GoFundMe page on Smiley's behalf Thursday, and more than $23,000 was raised toward the $30,000 goal within 11 hours.

"The funds raised by this gofundme will help cover Kelly's growing medical expenses as well as replace the camera gear that was severely damaged due to her fall," Kothlow wrote on the page. "Since Kelly is a working photographer, she needs this gear to help keep her working after fully recovering.

"Kelly is loved by all who know her and is a well-respected individual in the photography community. Please consider donating to this gofundme to help Kelly hit the ground running after she heals up."

The page makes no mention of Stafford or his reaction to Smiley's fall. But video of Smiley's fall, and Stafford's reaction, was viewed millions of times on Twitter. The reaction was swift and brutal, although some fans came to Stafford's defense.

"The dude is worth over 100 million. The law suits he could get from touching her or trying to help. Does anyone not think of this???." one person wrote on Twitter.

"Show some humanity and take the chance," replied another.

Responding to the GoFundMe page announcement, another person wrote, "Stafford just watched it happen and walked away." Multiple people suggested the Rams and Stafford should pony up funds on Smiley's behalf.

Others pointed out that Stafford may have shown concern when the cameras weren't rolling

Some sought to defend Stafford, with one person writing, "Love all the hate he's getting like he's a doctor and could have helped in anyway besides notifying someone to call an ambulance, which he could have done after the camera is no longer on him."

City News Service contributed to this report.