Sporting excellence reigns supreme in the realm of football. However, once in a while, there are incidents that remind us of the fragile nature of life and the unbreakable bonds formed on the field. One such tale revolves around Seattle Seahawks QB1 Geno Smith and his talented college teammate and wide receiver Stedman Bailey. After years of forming one of the most electric duos in high school and college level football, Bailey’s promising NFL career came to a screeching halt because of a devastating experience back in 2015.

Two years after entering the top division, Stedman Bailey defied fate and escaped death in a horrifying shooting incident. His old quarterback Smith recently reminded us of the true power of resilience and friendship while talking about his ex-receiver and best friend’s tryst with destiny.

Geno Smith still believes that his best friend could have conquered the NFL

A 2013 third-round pick for the St. Louis Rams, Stedman Bailey was destined for greater things. Until his fate took a wrecking U-turn in 2015. Bailey miraculously survived two gunshot wounds to the head after he and three of his family members fell victim to a deadly drive-by shootout in Florida. The November 2015 incident changed the course of his dreams, as Bailey could never suit up in an NFL jersey ever again.

The Biletnikoff runner-up, awarded to the best receiver in college football, Stedman Bailey could have changed the horizon of Super Bowl championships in the past decade. And there is no one who misses watching him in action more than Geno Smith.

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“Nobody talks about Stedman. His career was cut short. The dude was the real deal. An absolute stud,” one fan commented on a Geno Smith college highlight tweet. And the Seahawks’ passer had the perfect reply. “[Stedman Bailey] would’ve still been balling, no doubt,” he tweeted.

This is highly unsurprising, given Smith and Bailey’s relationship went way back to their West Virginia Mountaineers and Miramar High School chemistry and connection.

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Smith also vehemently believes his best friend deserved the Biletnikoff Trophy in 2012. He even retweeted some glaring facts to support his argument.

Stedman Bailey was the clear winner of the Biletnikoff Trophy, as per the stats

Geno Smith has had a remarkable journey of ups and downs in the NFL until now. Back in college, though, he threw a season-leading 42 touchdowns in 2012 along with his 4205 passing yards (3rd best that year). That wasn’t shockingly good enough to put him in the Heisman finalist selection. However, Smith feels that the bigger injustice was his wide receiver Bailey not winning the best receiver award despite being the clear leader in every aspect.

“Stedman was ROBBED of the Biletnikoff that year. That was the real crime,” Geno Smith tweeted to his fans complaining about the lost Heisman. Bailey recorded 114 catches over 1622 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in 2012. However, it was USC Trojans WR Marqise Lee who snatched the award despite posting a similar stat sheet, but with 11 fewer touchdowns.

However, Bailey has no regrets about his NFL career ending abruptly. “I’ve got my wife and my son, and right now we are expecting. I’m in a really good place, and thankful and grateful to be alive,” Bailey told WVU Athletics last year.

Safe to say, the NFL world lost a potential gem because of the tragic and gruesome incident eight years ago. And Geno Smith will forever gloat about his BFF and the greatness that could have been.

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