Though he spent 12 years as quarterback for the Detroit Lions, his Super Bowl win with the Los Angeles Rams is really the first time Matt Stafford has gained major national attention. That means that for most people in the United States, the first thing they’ve seen of Stafford off the field is him turning his back on a woman after watching her fall 10 feet onto the pavement. As far as public relations goes, we’d call this a miss.
He’s not just getting a bad reaction from fans on social media, the news media has taken a harsh view of his reaction as well. Deadspin’s pointed headline read, “We were better off when Matthew Stafford just toiled in mediocrity and obscurity.” The Daily Mail sarcastically observed, “What a gent!” An Australian news site headlined the story, “Star’s ‘scumbag’ move after woman falls.” Possibly the kindest media reaction we could find was from Dawg Nation, who wrote, “Matthew Stafford caught in awkward moment.”
We’re not sure whether this incident will have any meaningful impact on Stafford’s NFL career or his likelihood of getting into the Hall of Fame, though if we had to guess we’d say no. It will, however, probably leave a bad taste in football fans’ mouths for some time.
