Kelly Stafford is back at it!
Kelly Stafford, wife of NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford, recently issued an apology to a former teammate of her husband following unintended public attention on her past dating life.
The episode she referred to involved her dating her husband’s backup quarterback during their college years at the University of Georgia, a move she admits was aimed at sparking jealousy in Matthew.
Matthew Stafford, who played for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2006 to 2008, met Kelly while she was a cheerleader for the team. The backup quarterback in question at that time was Joe Cox, who, along with his family, was inadvertently drawn into the media spotlight due to Kelly’s recounting of her collegiate romantic maneuvers.
Kelly expressed her regret over the incident in a heartfelt social media post. “To this beautiful family… I am sorry for the media storm that happened last week that made its way into your lives,” she wrote. She clarified that Cox and his family had “ZERO involvement” in the tales she shared and praised the relationship they had during college, which she had admired and aspired to emulate with Matthew.
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She continued, reflecting on the incident with humor and perspective, noting how the media had twisted her words into something more dramatic than intended. “It was 16 years ago and if you asked both Matthew and I if we would change anything we did back then… nope. But we appreciate the laughs.”
In her appearance on the “Off The Vine” podcast, Kelly had candidly discussed her initial turbulent relationship with Matthew.
She recounted dating his teammate to provoke him, which successfully caught his attention. “He was the bad boy, too. Matthew is so sweet—a southern gentleman, all that stuff. And the backup was the complete opposite and it upset him,” she shared.
The story took a humorous turn as Kelly described how Matthew confronted her about the relationship. They were all living in the same athletes’ dorm, and Matthew would notice Kelly’s car parked there. One day, he followed her to her car, got in, and refused to leave, prompting Kelly to realize her plan had worked. She recounted telling him to leave, to which he responded, “He’s not right for you,” a moment she found both amusing and endearing.
Following his college career, Matthew Stafford was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, where he played for 11 years before moving to the Los Angeles Rams.
In his first season on the West Coast, he led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in 2022, capping off a remarkable journey from college quarterback to Super Bowl champion.
