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Allen Bailey, the former Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons defensive end who rose from tiny Sapelo Island to a ten year career in the NFL, has died. He was 37 years old.
His brother, Alford Bailey Jr., confirmed the death to reporters. Bailey’s wife found him dead inside their Florida home on Tuesday, and the family believes he died of natural causes.
No official cause of death has been released. The news spread quickly through the football world on Wednesday, as former teammates in Kansas City, Atlanta, and Miami shared their grief in public.
Major Takeaways
- Bailey played ten seasons in the NFL, eight with Kansas City and two with Atlanta, after the Chiefs drafted him in the third round in 2011.
- His family believes he died of natural causes, and no official cause of death has been released.
- The Sapelo Island native built the Allen Bailey Foundation to feed families and mentor young athletes across coastal Georgia.
From Sapelo Island to the League
Bailey was born March 25, 1989, on Sapelo Island, a barrier island off the Georgia coast that can only be reached by boat.
He grew up in Hog Hammock, a historic Gullah Geechee community founded by descendants of enslaved West Africans. The community is small, with only a few dozen permanent residents.
As a boy, Bailey rode the ferry to the mainland and then a bus to school each day. His father worked on that ferry for close to thirty years, and his mother worked as a cook.
He was the second youngest of seven children and the only one of them to play a college sport.
At McIntosh County Academy he became a football standout. At the University of Miami he earned first team All ACC honors in 2009 and second team honors in 2010.
A Fixture in Kansas City
The Chiefs selected Bailey in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, 86th overall. He grew into a steady presence on the defensive line and a fixture in the locker room.
After a breakout season in 2014, Kansas City signed him to a four year extension worth 25 million dollars.
His finest season came in 2018. He posted a career best six sacks and recovered four fumbles, the most by any player in the league that year.
Bailey shared the field with a young Patrick Mahomes during his final two seasons in Kansas City, and he contributed in the postseason for the Chiefs.
He moved on in 2019, one season before Kansas City won the Super Bowl. Around the league, his strength earned him the nickname the Incredible Hulk. Inside the locker room, teammates described a quiet worker and a gentle giant.
Final Seasons in Atlanta
Bailey came home to Georgia in 2019, signing with the Atlanta Falcons. He played 31 games and started nine of them across two seasons close to home.
Atlanta released him in February 2021, and his playing career came to a close.
He finished with 133 games played and 70 starts. His career totals include 248 tackles, 22 sacks, 40 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries.
The Work Back Home That Bears His Name
Football was never the whole story for Bailey. Through the Allen Bailey Foundation, he poured time and money back into McIntosh, Glynn, and Camden counties.
The foundation hands out hundreds of backpacks to schoolchildren. It runs a free football camp, the first of its kind in McIntosh County, and its Champions of Tomorrow Scholarship helps student athletes chase the same door Bailey walked through.
Every fall since 2016, the foundation turkey drive has put more than 300 turkeys on family tables before Thanksgiving.
For the children of Sapelo Island, Bailey was living proof that a daily ferry ride to school can lead all the way to an NFL stadium. His loss reaches far beyond football in the community that raised him.
Remembered by the Men Beside Him
Former Miami teammate Colin McCarthy shared the news early and wrote, “Lost a fellow brother today… prayers to AB family! Love you Big Cuzzo!”
Former Chiefs lineman Jeff Allen wrote, “Lost a teammate, a friend, a brother. God needed another angel. Rest easy, my brother.”
Urban City Podcast sends its prayers to Bailey’s wife, his family, and the entire Sapelo Island community. Follow our football coverage and the rest of our sports news as this story develops.
This story will be updated as the family shares funeral arrangements and as official information is confirmed.
