Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) walks off the field after their 27-9 playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale. Joseph Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rams Thank Cardinals in Classy Local Newspaper Ad

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Jan 17, 2025 2:30 PM ET

When the Los Angeles Rams' postseason game was forced out of SoFi Stadium due to the widespread California wildfires, their wildcard weekend matchup against the Minnesota Vikings was moved to State Farm Stadium, home to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals didn't just play host, however - they did much more.

Owner Michael Bidwill opened up the team's practice facilities for Los Angeles to utilize and sent two of the Cardinals' private jets to help transportation of players, coaches, family and even pets to the desert.

After advancing to the next round of the postseason, the Rams departed Glendale - but not without a special ad in The Arizona Republic:

"In times of adversity, true integrity is shown. Arizona, you were there when we needed it most. We are grateful to the Bidwill Family, the entire Arizona Cardinals staff, and the local community who took us in without hesitation and with gracious hospitality.

"From all of us ast the Los Angeles Rams, THANK YOU"

Ad from @RamsNFL in today's Arizona Republic pic.twitter.com/OtIFHYVi4K
— Mark Dalton (@CardsMarkD) January 17, 2025

Bidwill - when speaking with NFL.com ahead of the Rams-Vikings matchup - says the decision to extend the olive branch was a no-brainer.

"It's always a good time to do the right thing," Bidwill said.

"If we can do something to help ... maybe this is the only thing we can do. Let's put our energy into it and try to focus on it and make it a great experience, whether it's the players, their families or the coaches.

"We shifted all of our attention even before the announcement to making sure that we were ready to go.

"We knew that the people in their organization have been going through tremendous stress, with their families and friends that were losing everything and we wanted to be as thoughtful as we could. And then we realized the families were coming. It was like, OK, that's a whole other layer to this."

Much respect to both sides for being classy from start to finish in the face of disaster.

This article first appeared on Arizona Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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