When Matthew Stafford entered the 2009 NFL Draft, he was The Guy. The Bulldogs alum had everything scouts drooled over—an elite arm, smart pocket presence, and a promising leadership pedigree. Unsurprisingly, the Rams QB was drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions. Before the draft, however, Stafford’s agent believed his client lacked something that could further his prospects at the Combine—a tan. Whether it worked? Well, that’s up to you to decide.
Advertisement
In the latest episode of The Morning After, Stafford revealed to his wife, Kelly—the host of the podcast—why he looked radiant at the 2009 NFL Combine. While logic would suggest anything from intense outdoor training sessions to a beach vacation for the tan, Stafford revealed it was the work of a tanning bed, thanks to his agent’s directive.
When asked why, Stafford explained that his agent wanted him to look more presentable during interviews, as he had gone pale after his last college season. So, Stafford’s agent urged all his clients—not just Stafford—to get a tan before the Combine.
“Yeah, I had to (tan) before the Combine. This was 16 or 17 years ago… My agent was like, ‘You should go just to make you look (healthy)… we have to walk around… yeah, we have to.’ I was pale from the season,” recalled the Super Bowl-winning QB.
That said, one player who seemingly missed this memo was Tom Brady. For those unfamiliar, the GOAT’s infamous Combine photo—where he looks pale, slightly hunched, and not remotely athletic—has been memed into oblivion. Stafford joked about this by hilariously noting how the 7 time Super Bowl winner “went straight from Michigan indoor to Indianapolis.”
.@TomBrady‘s infamous NFL combine picture celebrates 20 years this week pic.twitter.com/DdXlozxyvR
— ESPN (@espn) February 26, 2020
While Matthew’s tanning story is decades old, Kelly Stafford had a much more recent experience—with a much less successful outcome.
Good spray tan artists deserve a raise, says Kelly
The podcast host kickstarted the tanning discourse by sharing how she recently got a spray tan for a charity event—an experience she wouldn’t want to repeat. Why? Because the tan wasn’t evenly applied. As a result, Matthew Stafford’s wife had to put in extra effort to scrub it off certain areas more than others.
“I got a spray tan. You know, sometimes you just need a little color, some bronzing to make you feel good. We had a charity event this past Saturday, which we’ll talk about—it was awesome. But, you know, the little unevenness on the hands and feet… I tried to scrub it off, and I feel like I scrubbed five layers off my skin.”
Her tedious scrubbing experience made her realize two things—firstly, the plight that Ross from the wildly popular sitcom, Friends, must have faced in the episode, The One With Ross’ Tan. And secondly, Kelly believed that professionals who can do an even spray tan for their clients deserve a lot more credit and moolah.
“Shoutout to the people who can do a very even spray tan. You guys are hard to find, and you should charge a lot because you guys are rare.”
As always, the Staffords keep things wildly entertaining with their anecdotes. This offseason was expected to be eventful, with Matthew rumored to be on the move. But with the Rams extending him, things have settled down—which leaves more room for stories like this to keep us engaged.
