Matthew Stafford’s wife and children are set to be in the spotlight as the Los Angeles Rams quarterback prepares to face the Denver Broncos in a Sunday Night Football meeting on September 27.
Stafford, 38, and the Rams are 1-1, matching the Broncos’ record ahead of the fixture. He and Kelly Stafford have four daughters together: twins Chandler and Sawyer, eight, Hunter, seven, and Tyler, six.
How Matthew and Kelly Stafford met
Kelly and Matthew Stafford met at the University of Georgia in 2006, when she was a cheerleader and he was the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback. The couple remain strong supporters of the college team, with Kelly and their daughters regularly showing their pride for Georgia.
The couple used IVF to conceive their twins. Kelly previously wrote that their journey to parenthood had begun two years earlier and said they were “so beyond grateful for the science behind IVF and what it has brought to our lives”.
Kelly Stafford’s brain tumour diagnosis
In 2019, Kelly underwent a 12-hour operation after doctors discovered a tumour on her cranial nerves. The tumour, identified as an acoustic neuroma, or vestibular schwannoma, was non-cancerous and had caused dizziness.
Describing her initial symptoms in an essay for ESPN, Kelly said: “I was in Michigan and had just gotten a massage. When I walked out, I just didn’t feel right. I was light-headed and it felt like the world was spinning around me.”
She said her greatest fear was “not being here, and not being here to raise my girls”, adding that she wanted to focus on positivity after her diagnosis.
Kelly also credited her husband with supporting her throughout the experience. “Matthew was incredible during the whole process,” she wrote. “He was literally by my side at every step.”
The family spent much of their time in Michigan during Matthew Stafford’s career. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions and played the majority of his career there before being traded to the Rams, with Jared Goff moving in the opposite direction.
Kelly’s brother is Chad Hall, a former NFL wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. He is now a wide receiver coach for the Buffalo Bulls.
