Wide receiver Stedman Bailey was shot in the head twice on November 24, leading to surgery and a lengthy hospital stay that ended with Bailey headed home just before the start of 2016.
Along the way, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said that Bailey was probably done playing football as a result of the injuries he suffered in the shooting but Bailey’s not quite ready to write himself off. In a YouTube video shot by Geoff Coyle of West Virginia Illustrated and titled “Steddy Ambition,” Bailey admits his doctors are doubtful about his chances of returning and outlines one potential fear that’s been expressed to him.
“My neurosurgeon was also extremely concerned about me making a return to the NFL, because when I did get shot in the head, it was pretty much like the worst kind of concussions that you can have,” Bailey said. “Just being that football is such a physical sport, guys have concussions all the time. I would say that’s probably the scariest part about it, because at the end of the day, I just want to have my mind functioning where I can be a good family man, be a good dad, just be myself. That’s one thing I think is scary.”
Bailey is running and lifting weights, although the amount of weight he’s working with is down significantly from where he was before the shooting. That’s not stopping him from trying to “continue to live out my dream,” although it seems there’s still a fair distance to go before Bailey can realistically hope to return to the field.
