KANSAS CITY, MO. —
A former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end has died, the team confirmed during a news conference Wednesday.
Allen Bailey, who played for the team from 2011 to 2018, has died at the age of 37, Andy Reid has confirmed.
Bailey was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round, 86th overall, of the 2011 NFL Draft.
“Sad news, the passing of Allen Bailey. Our thoughts are with his family. Prayers are with them. Way too young, obviously,” Reid said. “One of my favorite players. Great kid, and I’m just sorry to see this happen to him.”
He signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2019 and remained with the team until his release in February 2021.
The team has not revealed the cause of his death, however, Allen’s brother told TMZ that the family believes he died of natural causes.
“It’s not the Big 12 anymore”: Patrick Mahomes shares his memories of Allen Bailey
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared some of his earliest memories of Bailey.
Mahomes and Bailey were on the Chiefs together in 2017 and 2018.
Bailey, who stood 6’3″ and weighed about 290 pounds, was known for his physique. That stood out to Mahomes when he first saw him.
“I think it was after one of the drafts, like they were in OTAs, and I walked into the locker room to see Alan Bailey, and I was like, ‘This isn’t the Big 12 anymore,'” Mahomes said.
Mahomes called Bailey a glue guy for the Chiefs.
“I think you see him, and he’s one of those glue guys on the team, you know,” Mahomes said. “Like he was doing plays, but not necessarily the superstar, but the guy that kept everything going. It was terrible to hear that news. We’re praying for him and his family.”
Reid on Allen Bailey: ‘Just a good guy’
In addition to confirming the news, Reid shared a few stories about Bailey, including one about Bailey’s passion for hunting.
“I drive every morning, Coal Miner Road there, and I see a possum, and he was a big hunter. I say, I saw a possum there. He says, ‘don’t eat those opossums;’ they eat garbage,” Reid said.
Reid said Bailey was “dirty tough” and gave an honest review “on every snap”.
Bailey was only 37 when he died, which made his death even more difficult.
“It’s terrible, terrible, especially with all the good that he does, and you know, and he has a family and all that,” Reid said. “It’s a sad case. I know his dad died young too, and it’s just, you know, that’s life, but it makes you sick when you know it’s happening so young.”
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