Marshall’s Pro Day showcased several athletes aspiring to join the NFL, along with one player aiming to make a comeback.
Receiver Stedman Bailey, now 27, ran routes and caught passes from Thundering Herd quarterback Chase Litton, eager to demonstrate to the scouts that he deserves another opportunity.
He approached the event with a smile, fully aware of the journey he endured to reach this moment.
On November 24, 2015, Bailey was riding in a car in Miami Gardens, Florida, when another vehicle pulled up and gunfire erupted. He was hit twice in the head.
Bailey was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Although his injuries were not life-threatening—two bullets fractured his skull but didn’t harm his brain tissue—doctors initially thought they might end his football career.
Doctors thought his football career was over, but Bailey never shared that belief.
“I never doubted for a moment that I would play again,” Bailey stated, according to The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, W. Va. “It was challenging to hear the doctors’ reports suggesting I might not be able to walk or could have trouble speaking. But being the positive person I am, I brushed those off, thinking, ‘We’ll see.’ I was determined to prove them wrong.
The incident occurred in November 2015, and just five months later, I was back on the field running routes and feeling great.”
Last October, Bailey had surgery to insert a plate in his skull, which he remarked “changed the game” for his comeback. This plate is stronger than natural bone and offers protection against the intense hits he might face if he returns to the NFL.
He received medical clearance from his doctors in December, though NFL teams would still have their own medical evaluations to conduct.
Wednesday marked the first time Bailey had the opportunity to showcase himself in front of scouts since the shooting, and he was thrilled about it.
Drafted in the third round out of West Virginia in 2013, Bailey played 38 games with eight starts before that life-altering night in November 2015. At that point, he had accumulated 59 career catches for 843 yards and two touchdowns before the game was taken from him.
Since Bailey was not on an NFL roster last year, he is eligible to sign with a team at any time.
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