Sarah BarshopESPN Staff Writer3 Minute Reading
Stafford has a joke in mind when talking about playing young players
Matthew Stafford addressed his wife’s comments about him struggling to make connections with his young teammates.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford downplayed his wife’s comments that he had trouble jelling with his younger teammates, saying he “definitely” feels connected to other players in the locker room.
Stafford’s wife, Kelly, made the comments on his podcast, “The Morning After With Kelly Stafford,” at the end of August.
Stafford joked Wednesday that he would come out for his news conference with a newspaper under his arm and wearing “some scenes” to set the mood.
“But it turns out you can’t find a newspaper here,” said Stafford, “so I can’t do that. I’ll try to enjoy it.
“But no. It’s great that … I love working. I love working with these guys. And they all know that.”
When asked if he should have mentioned Kelly’s comments to anyone in the locker room, Stafford said, “No.”
“I think the guys understand where I’m coming from,” Stafford said. “They see me come into this building every day and know how I work, know how I interact with everybody and we don’t really think about it to be honest with you.”
“I’m not too worried about it. Nobody in the locker room is too worried about it, I can promise you. We’ve completely moved on. you, but yeah, I’m not worried about it.”
Stafford, 35, said the turnover in the Rams’ locker room is not unlike what happens at many teams around the league.
“Every team is different,” he said. “Every team is new. We happen to have a lot of youth on our team, a lot of rookies that have come in and done a great job and earned roles on our football team, will be a big part of our season . And that’s exciting. But every season, every team is different. And that’s a great part of this game is you’re exposed to all different kinds of people from all different places and different places in their lives.
“And I love being a part of that. … Probably my favorite thing is going into the locker room and being a part of that.”