NFL star Matthew Stafford’s wife says she ‘dated’ his backup to make him jealous

Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly, announced on the “Off the Vine” podcast that she once dated his college backup quarterback at Georgia to make him jealous

Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly, revealed that she once dated the Los Angeles Rams quarterback’s backup in college at Georgia with the intent of making him jealous.

The 15-year NFL veteran’s wife appeared on the “Off the Vine” podcast, a twice-weekly show that features conversations with public figures over a glass of wine. During the episode, Kelly shared stories about her relationship origins with the Rams quarterback, including their college days when she tried to make him jealous.

“Long story short, it wasn’t that cute of a relationship at first. I hated him. I loved him. I dated the backup to piss him off which worked,“ admitted Kelly. “He was the bad boy too. Matthew is so sweet and Southern gentleman and the backup was the complete opposite. They lived in the same dorm because athletes lived in the same dorm and he would see my car there,” she continued.

“So, at one point, he waited and followed me out to my car and got in my car and wouldn’t get out. He was like, ‘He’s not right for you.’ and I was like, ‘You can’t tell me that. Get the —- out of my car’. Meanwhile, he’s dating like 12/10s, supermodels.”

Kelly’s comments sparked a backlash in the video’s comment section, with NFL fans roasting her for the admission. One fan wrote, “Kelly Stafford, with a HOF double major in publicizing her questionable past and embarrassing her husband and future kids, stars in a clip that won’t ever go away. Good job!” Another commented, “Y’all both the type that don’t want anyone happy unless they’re with you.”

More criticism followed, with another fan saying, “She kind of gives weird vibes honestly.” This isn’t the first time Kelly has faced scrutiny from football fans.

NFL fans previously criticized Kelly for being insensitive when she sold tickets to a Lions game against the New Orleans Saints, which they felt disrespected the team and its supporters. Kelly admitted to selling the tickets on StubHub but clarified that she didn’t profit from them and wasn’t selling the tickets Matthew received as a player.

Kelly Stafford dating Matt’s college backup to make him jealous

She also faced backlash for her strong views opposing Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the 2020 NFL season to protest racial injustice and police brutality. However, months later, she changed her assertion and apologized for her views, accompanied by a $350,000 contribution from the Stafford family to Georgia Athletics for a social justice program.

Matt Stafford spent three seasons at Georgia from 2006 to 2008. During that period, he had only two backups on the roster, according to Football Reference: Joe Tereshinski, who was there during Stafford’s first season, and Joe Cox, who joined Georgia at the same time as Stafford. Given that Kelly mentioned the mystery man dorming with Stafford, clues led football fans to suggest that Cox as the unnamed man.

After Stafford, the No. 1 overall draft pick, left for the NFL in 2009, Cox stepped in as Georgia’s starting quarterback. The Bulldogs saw a sharp decline in performance that season, plummeting from being a top-15 team nationally to ranking 35th out of 120 Division I schools. He now serves as the tight end coach at Ole Miss, and has coached seven teams since 2014.