Rams QB Matthew Stafford, 35, insists he’s not bothered by his wife Kelly saying he struggled to get along with younger teammates and was angry because they called him ‘sir’
- Matthew Stafford is an NFL veteran and was drafted way back in 2009
- But the Rams roster is extremely young, with 14 rookies on the squad
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Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford stressed on Wednesday that he was “not worried” about his wife Kelly, saying he “can’t connect” with his younger teammates.
The 35-year-old Stafford enters his 15th season and finishes third with the Rams after helping the team to a Super Bowl in 2022.
But Kelly claimed on her podcast last month: “The Morning After with Kelly Stafford,” that her husband struggled to collaborate with others on his team, who “go straight to their phones after practice” and call him “sir.”
Stafford, however, considers the comments a non-issue.
‘I’m not too worried about it. No one in the dressing room is worried about it, I can promise you that,” he told reporters via ESPN.
Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly, said he struggled with younger teammates
Stafford enters his 15th season in the NFL and third with the Los Angeles Rams
“We went all the way. Not that we’ve ever really thought about it, to be honest, but yeah, I’m not too worried about it.’
“I like coming to work,” he added. “I like working with these guys. And they all know that.’
The quarterback’s comments come after Kelly spoke about her husband’s apparent struggle to find common ground with younger players on the Rams.
‘In the past you came out of the practice, you showered and people played cards and interacted. Who knows what they’re doing, but they’re doing something together,” she said in her podcast.
‘Playing ping pong, there’s a tournament going on. At least they would talk. But now they leave training and meetings during training camp and go straight to their phones. No one looks up from their phone. Matthew says, “I don’t know. . . am i the father? Do I take their phones? What am I supposed to do here?’ He says, “I don’t want them to see me as a coach.”
“They say ‘sir’ to him and s***,” she said. “He said, ‘No, we’re on the same level here, we both play in the league. Let me get to know you.’ He said it’s so different and so hard to get to know these guys. He had a book printed. He had the equipment man print a book of all their faces and all their names, because he said, “I need to know their names.”
Stafford, Kelly and their kids pose for a photo ahead of a Dodgers game on Sunday
The Rams actually have fourteen rookies on their roster, which is a far cry from the veteran, win-now squad that helped them win a Super Bowl two seasons ago.
But after a hugely disappointing 5-12 season last year, Stafford is looking forward to 2023 with the current group.
Every season, every team is different. And that’s the beauty of this game, you get to interact with all different types of people from all different places and different places in their lives,” he said.
The Rams begin their season with the Seahawks on Sunday.