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Stedman Bailey says he wants to return to NFL

By Alex Butler

MIAMI, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- After being shot in the head twice, Stedman Bailey likes his odds of returning to the NFL.

Bailey, 25, said in a video Monday that although doctors gave him a grim diagnosis on a return to pro football, he relishes in the challenge.

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"Since that incident, doctors have told me that they don't think I'll be able to make a return to the NFL," Bailey said in the video. "When somebody tells me that they don't think I can do something, you know I'll do everything that I can to prove them wrong. I like to call it 'Steddy Ambition.' And I will be making a return to the NFL."

The former St. Louis Rams wide receiver has been active on social media, posting positive messages and status updates on his condition. Since the November shooting in South Florida, Bailey is increasingly more spry, even displaying encouraging movement in the gym.

"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."

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Bailey and a cousin were shot while in a vehicle near his hometown of Miami in November. He was serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy at the time.

Bailey was selected No. 92 overall, in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft by the Rams.

The West Virginia product has 59 receptions for 843 yards and two receiving touchdowns, as well as a rushing score, in 38 career games.

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