Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly Stafford, set the record straight about the woman NBC network incorrectly identified as her at the Rams’ season opener against the Bears on Sunday.
In the premiere episode of her new podcast, “The Morning After,” Kelly jokingly introduced her “best friend from high school” Ali Chapas as Stafford’s “second wife.”
During the Rams’ 34-14 win over the Bears, NBC showed Chapas on the broadcast, while she was sitting next to Kelly, and misidentified her as Stafford’s wife. The network later rectified its mistake.
“I’m going to bring in some friends. The one is actually wife No. 2 of Matthew’s,” Kelly said on her podcast. “If you guys were tuning in [to the game] then you’ll know. She’s coming with her actual husband.”
Chapas is married to Stafford’s college best friend, former NFL pro Shaun Chapas — senior director of development for the University of Georgia football program.
After acknowledging the viral wife swap, Kelly gushed over her husband’s Rams debut — in which the quarterback finished 20 of 26 for 321 yards, three touchdowns and a career-best 156.1 passer rating.
“Matthew had an awesome game and he looked like he was having so much fun. I hadn’t seen that side of Matthew on the football field in a really long time,” Kelly admitted, noting Stafford’s previous 12 seasons with the Lions before being traded to Los Angeles this offseason.
“This is the first time Matthew has ever done this… He took that game ball and he was walking toward the tunnel and looked up at our suite gave us a big smile with both hands in the air… I felt like my husband has a renewed love for this sport again.”
In January, the Lions sent Stafford to the Rams in a blockbuster for quarterback Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round selection. Stafford, the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, threw for 4,084 yards with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for in Detroit (5-11) last season.
“Everyone who was sitting in that suite had been through the 12 years in Michigan, they came to games when there was no chance at the playoffs, we were losing… So the amount of emotions that were happening after this game… He just deserves it,” Kelly said. “The epitome of an incredible football player, but also an incredible teammate, the face of the franchise, he just does everything right… He really is just a good dude.”
The Rams visit the Colts in Week 2 on Sunday.