In the final days of November, usually a time reserved for family and giving thanks, the unthinkable happened. St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey was shot, twice, in the head while with his family traveling in a car. The 25-year-old would endure a lengthy surgery the day after the shooting, but it seems against all odds, is on track for recovery.
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Bailey has provided periodic updates via social media throughout his recovery time at the hospital. He also shared a video of himself doing some light jogging around the hospital and spoke with his teammates via Skype in the hours leading up to the teams Thursday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sep 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey (12) stands on the field during warm ups prior to the Rams
Every player, regardless of injury, feels they can come back from their ails, and Bailey is no different. From the beginning Bailey has vowed to return to the football field as a productive NFL player. Obviously, this would be quite the feat, and head coach Jeff Fisher voiced that concern in early December.
"“Are you asking is there a potential that he doesn’t return to play? Yes, there is that potential,” Fisher said. “We don’t know. It’s just going to take some time. From a health standpoint, there’s a chance that he doesn’t play. However, based on what he’s done over the last 10 days, he may surprise everybody.”(Nick Wagoner, ESPN)"
Friday morning, the day after Christmas, one month removed from that fateful night Bailey took to twitter to let the world know how thankful he was to be spending the holiday with his family and that he would return to the football field. He finished things off with the hashtag #SteddyAmbition.
Bailey was released from the hospital just a few days prior to the Christmas holiday which was very positive news given the severity of his injuries.
Everyone will be watching Bailey’s progress closely as the new year turns, but right now it would be difficult to predict whether or not Bailey will ever play football again. Recovery is paramount at the moment, but based on Bailey’s attitude and charisma anything is possible.