Early Wednesday morning, reports emerged from South Florida that former West Virginia wide receiver and current member of the St. Louis Rams, Stedman Bailey, had been shot in his hometown of Miami.
Bailey, 25, was sitting in a car with family members, and was shot in the head twice. Bailey remains in stable condition. The driver, Bailey’s cousin, was hit several times and has life-threatening injuries.
The shooter is unknown, according to sources relayed to NFL Media. In the wee hours of the morning, the Rams released a statement regarding their third round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
"We are aware Stedman Bailey was involved in an incident this evening. We have spoken with Stedman and he is in the hospital in critical, but stable condition. We are gathering facts about the situation and will provide updates as we learn more."
Bailey is currently serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Bailey was penalized last year for the same offense. In eight games this season, Bailey has 12 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown.
For his career, Bailey has appeared in 38 games and 58 receptions, averaging more than 22 yards per catch. In a three-year career at WVU, Bailey had 210 catches for 3,218 yards and 41 touchdowns. Bailey set a program record for touchdown catches in a season with 25 and receiving yards in a season with 1,622, in 2012. In 2011, he had five-consecutive 100-yard receiving games.
Often active on social media, Bailey posted a photo on Saturday after he had visited two high schools in the Miami-area. The caption of the photo read, “I had a chance to talk to an amazing group of young football players at Flanagan High and my alma mater, Miramar High. I had a great time bonding with these guys, sharing our life experiences, and talking to them about the highs & the lows of being an athlete. These kids had a really positive impact on me & I’ll definitely be back soon to check in on y’all! Good luck to both squads in their future endeavors.”