Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have spoken of their sadness after former Kansas City Chief Allen Bailey died at the age of 37.
The defensive end was found dead at his home in Florida on Tuesday by his wife. He is believed to have died from natural causes.
“It’s terrible, especially with all the good he [did],” Chiefs head coach Reid said. “He’s got a family and that’s a sad deal. I know his father passed away young, too. It makes you sick when it happens to somebody that young … He was one of my favorite players, a great kid. I’m just sorry to see that happened to him.”
Mahomes spent two seasons with Bailey after the quarterback was drafted by the Chiefs in 2017.
“I tell this story every year: He was the first person I saw when I stepped into the locker room after the draft,” Mahomes said. “I see Allen Bailey and I’m like, ‘This isn’t [college] anymore.’ It was surreal to see him.
“Obviously, it’s terrible to hear the news. A great teammate – he’s one of those glue guys on the team. He makes plays. He’s not necessarily a superstar, but the guy that kind of makes everything go. We’re praying for his family. [As] teammates, we’ve talked and we know that we’re going to do whatever we can to support those guys.”
Bailey grew up on Sapelo Island, a barrier island off Georgia only accessible by boat and with a population of fewer than 70 people. “I’m from a place a little out of the normal,” Bailey told Distraction magazine in 2018. “It’s relatively quiet; no stop signs, no traffic lights. It’s mostly dirt roads.”
From there he played college football for Miami before becoming a third-round draft pick for the Chiefs in 2011. He played for the team for eight seasons before spending the final two years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons.
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