Matthew Stafford plays in LA, but still has a place in his heart for Detroit -- and for the fans who used to support him at Ford Field.
When Stafford caught word a couple weeks ago that a longtime Lions fan had sold his autographed Stafford jersey to take his eight-year-old daughter to the Lions-Commanders playoff game, Stafford texted an equipment manager for the Rams asking, "can we find this guy and send him a jersey of mine," per an article in the Free Press.
The manager connected with the fan, a 34-year-old Canton native by the name of Bryson Machonga who lives in Wisconsin. A couple days later, a jersey for Machonga arrived in the mail. And not just any jersey, but a game-worn, autographed jersey from the 2014 season when Stafford led the Lions to an 11-5 record, with a personal message on the back: To Bryson ... Thanks for all the support!
Machonga told the Free Press that he "was over the moon."
"Disbelief at the start," he said. "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."
Machonga said the outreach by Stafford made him love the quarterback even more.
"No disrespect to Jared Goff, I love what Jared Goff has done for the Lions. But this is why (Stafford is) QB1 for me, forever," Machonga said. "What he's doing now, it goes beyond football. It's what sports are meant to do, bring people closer together. He did that — it speaks to his character."