The New Reason Fans Can't Stand Matthew Stafford's Wife Kelly

Los Angeles Rams star Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly Stafford, has given NFL fans a new reason to dislike her. Kelly, who first hooked Matthew during their undergrad years at the University of Georgia, shared a new, unflattering tidbit about their early romance. While speaking on the "Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe Podcast," Kelly revealed that she pursued Matthew's college teammate. After admitting that her relationship with Matthew wasn't idealistic in the beginning, Kelly said that she "dated the backup [quarterback] to piss him off." Kelly's sneaky efforts worked Matthew up into a jealous frenzy and put them on the path to their eventual marriage, but fans have since put her in timeout. 

@offthevinepodcast

Well... It worked 🤣🤣 Tune in to hear how Kelly shares dating the back-up QB made @matthewstafford come running back ! 🫶🏼 SPOILER ALERT: they're married now!! 🤍 #football #datinglife #podcastclips @kaitlynbristowe @kellyandhank

♬ original sound – Off The Vine – Off The Vine

While Kelly heavily guarded the backup's identity, fans soon got busy uncovering the mystery. And while fans threw out a few names of Matthew's former teammates, they eventually attached the guy's identity to Joe Cox, a current college football coach with a wife and family. The thing is, Kelly, who rushed to set the record straight, has strongly implied that social media doxed the wrong guy. "I am so sorry for the media storm that happened last week that made its way into your lives," Kelly posted to Instagram (via E! News). "You have ZERO involvement in what I spoke about." Kelly also claimed that Cox and his college sweetheart wife "were the couple that everyone thinks Matthew and I was."

Kelly Stafford is one of many WAGs that fans can't stand, but trust us, NFL fans aren't her only haters. Commenter Stephen A. Smith has also criticized Kelly for blasting her relationship with Matthew Stafford. "How is it that y'all know that men have egos and males are ego-dominant?" Smith said on his podcast. "But you forget that when it comes to your own man. What could possibly make you ... if you are Mrs. Stafford, what could possibly make you think that it is OK for you to go home after revealing to the public, 'I kicked it with his backup?'" Smith also stressed that he wasn't attempting to malign or disrespect Kelly. He just didn't understand her motivation for unearthing such controversial deets.

Unfortunately for Kelly, Smith isn't the only sports professional who has thoughts about Kelly's dating memory. Former NFL pro Channing Crowder expressed his annoyance at Kelly in a very vulgar manner during an episode of the "Pivot" podcast. "It just makes Matt look bad. Don't say things that make your spouse look bad," he said. After admitting that he'd probably shared things in the past to upset his wife, he claimed that Kelly's sin of "giving the cakes up to a backup to make [him] jealous" was far worse. "So, you done knocked it down and your buddy done knocked it down, and you done came back around and jumped in the car. Man, that was unacceptable for me."

Social media has wasted no time sharing their thoughts on Kelly Stafford's former hookup with her husband's backup quarterback, and many seem to be on Matthew Stafford's side. "She does not even seem concerned or worried about how her actions made her husband feel," tweeted one user on X, formerly known as Twitter. "She thinks she's the main character and doesn't realize her husband is the only reason she is relevant," replied another user. Meanwhile, another fan wrote, "Kelly Stafford just needs to stop talking about it already. I didn't even know the guy's name until this post."

Fans also weren't moved by Kelly's apology, which made zero mention of her own family. "She should be apologizing to her husband," tweeted one fan, alongside five crying emojis. "She really must not like Matthew, how do you apologize to a guy and it NOT be your husband," tweeted another. One more fan agreed, suggesting that Kelly should go one step further to rectify things. "She needs to apologize to her husband on camera first and foremost for shredding him in the public sphere," tweeted the user. Another fan suggested something more drastic: "Matthew Stafford please file for divorce," wrote the fan.

As for Kelly's message to fans and critics? She's over "insecure men."