The Rams open the season Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks
Kelly Stafford, the wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, revealed in an August podcast that the veteran quarterback was having issues connecting with the young players on his team, saying the "locker room has changed so significantly."
"You know, they’re young, they’re learning, but he's like, 'I feel like I can't connect,’" she said on "The Morning After With Kelly Stafford."
Matthew Stafford, #9 of the Los Angeles Rams, celebrates with his wife Kelly Stafford during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
As Stafford prepares for the start of his 15th NFL season, he was asked whether he had to address the comments with his teammates.
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"No. I think those guys understand where I'm coming from," Stafford said Wednesday. "They see me come in this building every single day and know how I go to work, know how I interact with everybody, and we didn't really think too much about it to be honest with you."
"I’m not too worried about it," Stafford said. "Nobody in that locker room is too worried about it. I can promise you that. We've completely moved on, not that we ever really stopped to think about it, to be honest with you. But I’m not too worried about it."
In the August podcast, Kelly Stafford said her husband was trying to find a way to connect with his younger teammates who spend the majority of their time on their phones.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, left, with wide receiver Cooper Kupp, right, on the sidelines in the first half of an NFL pre-season football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
"In the old days, you'd come out of practice, you'd shower, people would be playing cards, people would be interacting," Kelly Stafford said. "Who knows what they're doing, but they're doing something together. They’re playing ping-pong, they have a tournament going on. They're at least talking. He said now they get done with practice or get done with meetings during training camp, and they go straight to their phones."
"No one looks up from their phones," she continued. "Matthew's like, 'I don't know ... am I the dad? Do I take the phones? What do I do here?' and he's like, ‘I want them to see me not as a coach.’"
Shortly after her comments made headlines, Kelly Stafford expressed regret for making news.
"That was tough. I say all the time, probably not the best if your wife’s name is in the media, if it’s talking about sports. I felt pretty bad last week. I put my foot in my mouth pretty good last week," she said when speaking with Local 4 Detroit’s Christy McDonald on "A Conversation With."
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a pass during the NFL football team's training camp Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Irvine, California. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
"I spoke on a topic that I think, it’s relatable, to the fact that it’s hard to relate to someone who is ten years younger than you," she explained. "And I do think that’s entirely true. But I’m not in an NFL locker room. I’m not spending every day with these teammates."
Stafford said Wednesday that he "definitely" feels connected with the locker room.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams open the 2023 NFL season against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and Scott Thompson contributed to this report
Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.
