The Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford said Thursday they would pay a photographer’s medical bills and replace her cameras after she fell off the stage at the team’s Super Bowl celebration Wednesday.
Kelly Smiley, a photo editor for the NFL, the NBA and NHL and a freelance photographer, said Thursday on Twitter that she fractured her spine in the fall, which happened in front of Stafford and his wife, Kelly, after she stepped backward on the stage. In addition, both of her cameras were broken, she tweeted.
In a video that circulated on social media, Stafford appeared to notice that Smiley fell but walked away. Kelly Stafford, however, rushed to the edge of the stage to check on Smiley. Matthew Stafford was widely criticized on social media for his reaction in the video.
“We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday’s incident and we are sorry for what happened,” the Rams and Stafford said in a joint statement. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
A GoFundMe page was created to help Smiley and so far had generated more than $42,000 in donations as of Thursday afternoon.