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Source: Michael Thomas / Getty

NFL player Stedman Bailey was shot in the head 3 years ago, but now he’s ready to get back on the field.

Toward the end of 2017, he was officially cleared by his doctors to play again. Since then, he has been working out with Rams receiver Tavon Austin and the Steelers’ Antonio Brown to keep his skills sharp.

“Doctors say I can play. But it’ll be up to teams to clear me, which I’ll be looking at this offseason,” he said at the time. “I’ll be looking for teams to bring me in for workouts so they can see me move personally. From there I know I’ll be good. Steddy ambition, baby.”

Bleacher Report has since caught up with Bailey, who still has high hopes of getting added to a roster sooner rather than later.

It all started when doctors asked Bailey, as he was recovering from two gunshots to the head, what his goals in physical therapy were. He wrote down he wanted to play football again. Meanwhile, his doctors were unsure if he’d be able to walk again.

But now he’s up and running routes, and the doubt that everyone had—including his doctors—fuels him each day and has redefined his purpose.

“I have a divine purpose to be here,” he told BR. “You don’t just survive those shots and walk around normal. I feel like we as people all have specific plans on Earth.”

In October, he had a steel plate steel plate inserted in his head, and just like that, the comeback began. To him, it’s just like any other injury.

“You’ve seen dudes come back from ACLs, Achilles, broken bones. I want to be the one to show people that no matter what you go through, you don’t have to let other people define who you are as a person, what you can do as a person—and I can show the world anything is possible,” Bailey continued.

His goal is to not just return to the league, but also inspire others to get over their hurdles.