Matthew Stafford and Kelly Stafford Donate $350,000 to Fund a Social Justice Program at UGA—Kelly Apologizes for Nothing Listening and Acting Sooner

Matthew Stafford and Kelly Stafford Donate $350,000 to Fund a Social Justice Program at UGA—Kelly Apologizes for Nothing Listening and Acting Sooner

On August 15, it was reported that Matthew Stafford and his wife Kelly Stafford had donated $350,000 to the University of Georgia. The money’s sole purpose is to fund a social justice program that will focus on creating “educational programs and implement different opportunities around the areas of diversity, inclusion, and social justice within the university and its athletic department,” according to ESPN.

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UGA’s head football coach Kirby Smart and his wife also gave $150,000 towards the program, ESPN reports. Shortly after the news of their donation went public, Stafford’s wife took to Instagram to explain their decision to fund such an important project.

Along with a screenshot of the news, Kelly wrote that funding a social justice program was “something that Matthew and I have been thinking and talking about for several months now.” She then went on to talk about how they had come up short in listening to their Black brothers and sisters in the past.

“When Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem, I had strong feelings about it. Even when he kept saying it had nothing to do with the flag or military, I didn’t listen. I kept not listening to him or anyone else and let the political rhetoric persuade me that him kneeling was disrespectful to our military. Over the past several months, I have opened my ears, mind, and heart and it has opened my eyes to see how wrong I was, and for that I am sorry.”

After admitting her initial reaction to the protests that were meant to bring light to the systemic racism America still faces today was wrong, she promised that she and Matt will continue working towards ending systemic racism.

“This systematic racism is not going away unless we ALL work on it by working on ourselves and those around us,” Kelly continued. “It’s time for everyone to do their part to help end this system. Matthew and I thought this was a good place to start. We are proud to be a part of this program and we will keep fighting to help end this social injustice.”

She then concluded her post by saying, “Black Lives Matter.” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement released by the university that he is very grateful for the donations made by the Stafford and Smart families.

Sara Vallone

Sara Vallone has been a writer and editor for the last four and a half years. A graduate of Ohio University, she enjoys celebrity news, sports, and articles that enhance people's lives.