BAILEY WORKING ON SUCCESS STORY
Motivational speaker’s positive attitude carries over to performance on the field
When Rasheed Bailey goes back home to Philadelphia and resumes his off-season job as a motivational speaker, he’ll have a new story to tell.
It will be the tale of a receiver who bounced around six NFL practice rosters in four years before turning his attention to Canada, only to find himself on the practice roster once again with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
It will be about a player who didn’t let things get him down, stayed positive, until the good attitude and hard work in practice finally paid off.
“This is perfect,” the 26-yearold Bailey said.
“I always have this message: ‘No matter what you’re going through, no matter how down you are, no matter what your emotions are, always just give.’
“Everything I’ve been through this season has been a roller-coaster ride. It’s been ups and it’s been downs and this is all creating a big story for me to tell when I go home and when I speak to kids.
“It’s going to be pretty good, because, I’ve been through everything emotionally.”
Bailey is expected to make his second straight start for the Bombers — and third overall — on Saturday in Calgary against the Stampeders. He went into the lineup in place of NFL veteran Lucky Whitehead last week against Montreal and made five catches for 86 yards to lead all Bombers receivers.
For the season, he has 10 catches for 119 yards and one rush for 10 yards. He also had a drop last week that didn’t go unnoticed.
Where he has impressed the coaching staff most is in practice, where head coach Mike O’Shea describes him as always going 100 miles per hour.
“He certainly shows in practice that he’s serious about his craft, that he’s going to put in all the effort, every single day, to try to earn a spot,” O’Shea said.
For Bailey, it’s all about bringing the energy. He does it through his words, he does it by never taking a play off at practice and he does it with his mindset.
“I am seriously 100 miles per hour all the time,” Bailey said.
“Whether it’s blocking, whether it’s being the hype man, whatever, it just feels good to put a jersey on and be out there strapping with your teammates.”
Before last week’s game, Bailey had an opportunity to put his speaking skills on display in front of the receivers and quarterbacks.
He let a little bit of himself show, pouring out straight, pure emotion, just delivering it for his teammates.
Then he went out and backed it all up with a strong performance.
“Nobody ever wants to have that guy who’s just screaming and hollering and not making plays,” Bailey said. “Last week I got an opportunity to make some plays, and hopefully, we can continue to build from that.
“Now that I’m playing, you’ll hear me more, you’ll see me trying to be more vocal, you’ll see me trying to be the energy and that leader out there.”
Before he came to the Bombers, Bailey used his life story as part of his motivational speaking package.
He grew up in the projects of Philadelphia, surrounded by drugs and crime. One of his best friends was killed when he was in high school. He heard the gunshots, but didn’t know his friend was involved until the next day.
He went to college at Delaware Valley State, a Division III school, and managed to parlay that into numerous NFL opportunities. He started with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 and made stops with the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers, the Eagles again, Cleveland Browns, and finally the Carolina Panthers over the next few years.
He never once came off the practice roster, never played a down.
That’s why, when the Bombers finally activated him on Sept. 7, Bailey could barely suppress his emotions.
Saturday he’ll play a second game in a row for the first time as a pro, another step in this long, strange trip.
Having a chance to use this latest chapter to help others who are struggling to find their way is something Bailey relishes.
“You could put me anywhere … put me in a class full of inmates or whoever,” Bailey said.
“I’m ready to speak. That’s my job, that’s my gift. As you can see, people respect you more and what you have to say when you’re out there playing on the field.
“So yeah, it’s pretty cool to be playing.”