Kelly Stafford, Wife Of Detroit Lions QB, Calls Michigan ‘Dictatorship’ Over State’s COVID-19 Restrictions
Kelly Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, called the state of Michigan a “dictatorship” over new restrictions meant to slow the spread of coronavirus.
As Click on Detroit reported, Stafford went on a rant in a new video posted to her Instagram stories, saying it is unfair for the state to place restrictions that could endanger the viability of small businesses that may be forced to close.
“I’m over living in a dictatorship that we call Michigan,” she said. “I understand there’s a pandemic, and I understand it’s very scary. I’m scared of it too. If you are in risk, do not leave your house until there’s a vaccine. But shutting down all these small businesses — things that people have worked their life for — shutting them down again is not the answer, because they will not make it.”
As the report noted, the state has entered a three-week “pause” that includes a ban on indoor dining at restaurants and closures of in-person college and high school classes. It also means that there will be no fans in the stands at Lions games, the report added. The team had been allowing a small group of nearly 500 people into the stadium during games, which were mostly friends and family of players. Kelly Stafford will still be seen at games, with a cutout of the quarterback’s wife attached in the stands next to another cutout of Lions legend Barry Sanders.
In the video, Stafford said that seeing the effects of the new stringent measures has brought her to tears. She added that while not everyone may agree with her viewpoint, she is not going to be afraid to speak her opinion.
“This is my opinion. I feel for these small businesses,” she said. “It’s not that I don’t feel for people that have COVID, or the hospitals. I do. But this is my opinion.”
Michigan has become a flashpoint for those opposed to shutdowns, with many holding rallies to speak out against stay-at-home measures put in place in the spring to combat the initial spread of the coronavirus. As The Inquisitr reported, some of these demonstrations grew contentious as protesters showed up armed with guns.
Later in the year, authorities said they thwarted a plot among members of a militia group to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, claiming that she was guilty of treason.
Nearly all regions of the country have seen surging numbers of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, with many instituting new measures meant to keep residents at home and bring infection rates down.
