Who was Allen Bailey? All about Chiefs DE as he reportedly passes away

Allen Bailey has reportedly passed away. As per a post shared by Football Forever on Instagram, the former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end was thirty-seven years old. The news of his passing spread quickly across the football world, with tributes beginning to pour in from those who knew him. Former college teammate Colin McCarthy was among the first to speak out.

“Lost a fellow brother today… prayers to AB family! Love you Big Cuzzo,” shared McCarthy.

Bailey had made a name for himself well before any pro team came calling. At the University of Miami, he was a First-team All-ACC selection in 2009 and earned a Second-team All-ACC nod the following year. Kansas City selected him in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, eighty-sixth overall. It would prove to be the start of an eight-season stint with the Chiefs.

He later signed with the Atlanta Falcons, where he played out two more seasons in the league. Bailey last suited up in 2020. In February 2021, with Terry Fontenot coming in as new general manager and Arthur Smith taking over as head coach, Atlanta released Bailey alongside safety Ricardo Allen. His career in the National Football League had lasted a full decade.

Allen Bailey reflects on his Sapelo Island roots:

As per Distraction Magazine, the student publication of the University of Miami, Bailey opened up about his roots in a February 2018 interview. The six-foot-three defensive end had collected quite a few nicknames over the years. Big Bailey, Big Dog, The Green Mile and even The Hulk. Allen Bailey grew up on Sapelo, a small island off the coast of Georgia. That was where he first discovered football, playing pickup games with his siblings and cousins. Organized play came much later.

“I’m from a place a little out of the normal. It’s relatively quiet; no stop signs, no traffic lights. It’s mostly dirt roads,” Bailey said.

It showed in how he came to the game. No pee wee leagues, no structured programs, nothing of that sort growing up on the island.

“On the island, we didn’t have pee wee leagues or anything. The first time I started playing organized football was in seventh grade,” Bailey added.

Allen Bailey on leaving Sapelo Island for Miami:

Allen Bailey arrived in Coral Gables in June 2007. The island of Sapelo and the city of Miami had almost nothing in common, and he felt it immediately.

“The hardest thing was the people. At Sapelo, everyone greets each other with a wave, even if you don’t know them. It’s just what you do,” Bailey said.

“Here, people don’t even look you in the eye,” he added.

The football side of things wasn’t the issue, though. As per Distraction Magazine, Allen Bailey had been crossing from the island to the mainland by ferry every day since middle school. When his schedule got more demanding, he made the call to leave home and stay with a friend for the rest of high school. The penny dropped the summer after tenth grade.

“I got an offer from the University of Georgia. I realized I could play college ball and benefit from it, like [receive] a free education. I started to think about it deeper and deeper,” Bailey said.

His junior year was a strong one. Two games into his senior season, a lower back injury cut things short. Coach Randy Shannon and recruiting coordinator Clint Hurtt made the trip out to the island regardless, and Hurtt, who served as Miami’s defensive line and recruiting coordinator from 2007 to 2009, came away with one conclusion.

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“Athletically, I have never seen anyone or anything like him. I thought Sean Taylor and Andre Johnson were the best physical specimens you could ever see ‘till I met and coached Allen. He is a rare talent, although still raw, but the sky is the limit. His mere presence would be an asset to the team over his career because having a guy with his talent and work ethic raises everyone’s level of play,” shared Hurtt.

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