Former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey almost died in 2015. The former NFL wide receiver was going out to dinner on Nov. 24, 2015, with his cousin, his best friend, and his cousin’s kids (aged 10 and 6). The back of his SUV was open, and a vehicle pulled up behind them and opened fire, shooting into the SUV. Bailey took two bullets and his cousin took three bullets before diving onto his kids to protect them from the gunfire. Miraculously, Bailey lived and now, three years later, he wants to make a comeback to the NFL.

Stedman Bailey and his story

The former NFL star sat down with Bleacher Report for an interview and opened up about everything that happened that night. He says he heard the gunshots, knows he was struck, but felt no pain. Bailey took a bullet into the head, but when he woke up and scared his cousin, they kept him still until they could get him to the hospital. There were no deaths after the shooting which, in itself, is another miracle.

Now, with this behind him, Stedman Bailey has a pair of goals in life. One is to return to the NFL and play again. The other is to help other people. In a previous interview with WSVN radio, Bailey said that he grew up in Miami Gardens and saw gun violence all the time.

He knows this is an issue and wants to give back and help change the lives of kids growing up in his own home stomping grounds.

Stedman Bailey and his NFL chances

The crazy thing is that Stedman Bailey was told he would never walk again, but those doctors didn’t know Bailey. The former Rams star said that he has a specific plan on this Earth and he has something to do to help other people.

He can’t do that if he gives up and just lives the rest of his life in a wheelchair. The bullet that struck his head touched his brain but never pierced it, meaning that somehow the receiver never suffered any brain damage and is as sharp as ever.

Stedman Bailey said that people have come back from ACL injuries, broken bones, Achilles injuries – he wants to prove that he can come back from this tragic shooting that almost ended his life.

Bailey said that he wants to get back onto the NFL field and believes that he will 100-percent win the Comeback Player of the Year award. That will give him a chance to talk to others about his story and prove that anyone can come back from anything – no matter how devastating.

Stedman Bailey said that scouts watched him work out and remembered how fast he was when he came out of college. However, Bailey said many of them saw him as an experiment. However, the former NFL star said he is not a “moral victory” and has more to prove in the NFL.

“I want to motivate people,” Bailey said. “There’s a reason I’m alive.”
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED