It's been almost exactly four years to the day since the Detroit Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and multiple draft picks. It's fair to say the trade has been a win for both sides, and Stafford has gotten the expected reception as the opposing quarterback in two return trips to Detroit.
But most Lions' fans know Stafford was dealt a rough hand over his 12 seasons in Detroit, and it's hard to truly all-out hate him in a big picture sense. A recent gesture will only fortify that lack of genuine hatred.
Before Detroit's Divisional Round game against the Washington Commanders, the Detroit Free Press ran a story about Lions' fan Bryson Machonga. Machonga decided to sell his autographed Stafford jersey (as well as some other gear, and bottles of bourbon, according to the article) so he could take his oldest daughter Kinsley to the game. Tickets, as we know, are not cheap.
Matthew Stafford proves why Lions' fans will continue to support him
Someone sent that Free Press article to Stafford. In the paper's follow up article, Machonga said a Rams' employee contacted him a few days after the game against the Commanders. He, as would be natural, thought it was a scam at first.
But the Rams' equipment manager shared a text exchange with Stafford, as he asked about getting a jersey to Machonga, with a photo of the original Free Press article to confirm the credibility of the inquiry.
Stafford sent a game-worn jersey he had kept from the 2014 season, when the Lions had their best record during his tenure with the team (11-5), autographed and with a personalized message for Machonga.
"I was over the moon. … Disbelief at the start", Machonga said to the Free Press in a phone interview. "But then it just turned into resounding joy, excitement. It just reconfirmed who Matthew Stafford is. He had no reason to go about doing this. He had no gain. He's not our quarterback anymore ... he went out of his way in a playoff week."
As his career winds down, Stafford is a naturally sworn enemy of Lions' fans whenever he plays against their team. But it's easy to see why they continue to support him otherwise.