Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid spoke about their sadness after the death of former Kansas City Chief Allen Bailey at the age of 37.
The defensive end was found dead in his Florida home Tuesday by his wife. He is believed to have died of natural causes.
“It’s terrible, especially with all the good he’s done,” Chiefs head coach Reid said. “He has a family and it’s a sad thing. I know his father died young too. It makes you sick when it happens to someone so young… He was one of my favorite players, a great kid. I’m just sorry to see this 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 walked 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. He’s a great teammate, he’s one of the guys that sticks with the team. He makes plays. He’s not necessarily a superstar, but he’s the guy that makes everything happen. We’re praying for his family. (As) teammates, we’ve talked and we know we’re going to do everything we can to support these guys.”
Bailey grew up on Sapelo Island, a barrier island off the coast of Georgia accessible only by boat and with a population of fewer than 70 people. “I come from a place that’s a little out of the norm,” 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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