KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman who was taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft and spent eight seasons in KC has passed away. Allen Bailey died on Tuesday, his brother told TMZ.
Alford Bailey Jr., told TMZ his wife found him dead at their home in Florida, and they believe it was from natural causes, but no official cause of death has been released yet.
Coach Andy Reid opened his news conference comments on Wednesday expressing his condolences.
“Sad news, passing of Allen Bailey. Our hearts go out to his family, prayers with them. Way too young, obviously, one of my favorite players, great, great kid,” Reid said.
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Reid followed up to explain why Bailey was one of his favorite players.
“Just a good guy. I drive in every morning on Coal Mine Road, and I’ll see a possum, and he was a big hunter…. I said, ‘Saw a possum out there.’ He goes, ‘Don’t eat those possums; they eat garbage. Gotta get the ones that eat the chestnuts,'” Reid recounted.
“He was that kind of guy. Then he was dirty tough… talk about giving an honest down, he gave you an honest down every snap. It’s just terrible, especially with all the good he does, and he’s got a family, that’s a sad deal. It’s life, but it makes you sick when it happens to somebody that young.”
Bailey racked up 19.5 sacks, 207 tackles, recovered seven fumbles and scored a touchdown while he was with the Chiefs, playing all across the defensive line. He spanned eras that saw the franchise go from challenging seasons to the emergence of the dynasty under Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
He finished his career in Atlanta as the Chiefs began enjoying Super Bowl success, but played in six Kansas City playoff games before his time with the Falcons.
Bailey was originally from Sapelo Island, Georgia, and played his college ball at the University of Miami, earning All-ACC honors in 2009 and 2010.
In addition to his career on the football field, he also ran a non-profit organization, the Allen Bailey Foundation, which ran football camps, community events and sough to uplift high school student athletes with scholarships and opportunities in the area where he grew up.
