Stedman Bailey’s Words Are Very Eye-Opening

Morgantown, West Virginia – Stedman Bailey is one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of West Virginia Mountaineers football. With 210 receptions, 3,218 yards and 40 touchdowns in three seasons with the Mountaineers, the former first team All-American has established himself as a legend in Morgantown

Bailey recently spoke to The Voice of Motown Podcast and what he had to say about Neal Brown, the current state of the West Virginia football program and what he’s heard from current players is very eye-opening and disturbing.

On Neal Brown

“You know, it’s pretty strange. As much as I do come back around, I have never once yet had an opportunity to meet Neal Brown in person. So I can’t really say much about him as a person, but as a coach, I think we can improve in a lot of different areas.

I try to sit back and trust everything that is happening. Mr. Shane Lyons gave him an extension. I was hoping that he saw something that I don’t. But at this point, man, just to be honest, it seems like we’re going in the wrong direction. That’s depressing not just for myself but a lot of Mountaineer Nation.”

Transfer Portal Issues at West Virginia

“I don’t think we have a great connection with the players and coaches. Coaches are there to be your coaches and not your best friend, but there’s certain things coaches can do to make sure that the players believe and are rallying behind them.

I really don’t know where we are. The transfers are almost like a pandemic, really. What’s taking place right now is pretty alarming. To me, if a guy doesn’t want to be at West Virginia, that’s their loss. But when we’re not only leading the Big 12 but also leading the whole country by almost double-digits, you really have to question what is going on.”

On the Current State of the Program

“We’ve got starters leaving the program, guys we were counting on to come back next year with another year to lead us to a Big 12 Championship.

It seems like you might want to investigate behind the scenes and see what’s really going on because it doesn’t look good. At this point, I’m not even sure what our team will ever look like next year.

We have Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Panthers, game one. I’m pretty sure all of Mountaineer Nation is itching to get that rivalry back, but what do we have to work with? It’s going to be an interesting offseason.

I’m still pulling for the program and all of the guys. I have a pretty good relationship with almost all of them. Anytime I’m on campus, those guys show me a great deal of respect and it’s great. They take my advice and I want them to come to South Florida to come on a retreat and let me work with them. I want to see them win. I’m open. I’m open to help.

On Coaching Staff’s Relationships With Players

“I don’t want to put too much out on blast, but there is for sure a serious disconnect between the players and the coaches.

I understand coaches yelling and screaming and getting on players, but there’s a thin line between being disrespected and just being soft. There’s just a disconnect. I don’t know how to fix it, but I hope Coach Brown is prioritizing it and getting it fixed. He needs to figure it out, because if not, we might have an all freshman team next year and that wouldn’t be good.”

This and much, much more! Listen to the entire interview below on The Voice of Motown Podcast: