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Allen Bailey, Georgia native and former Falcons player, dies at 37

By Courtney Martinez, WSBTV.com
Los Angeles Rams v Atlanta Falcons Allen Bailey #93 of the Atlanta Falcons takes the field prior to the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 20, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
By Courtney Martinez, WSBTV.com

MCINTOSH COUNTY, Ga. — Allen Bailey, a former college football standout and NFL player from Georgia, has died. He was 37.

Bailey’s brother told TMZ that his wife found him dead at their Florida home on Tuesday. The family believes he died of natural causes. No official cause of death has been released.

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Bailey played for 10 seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons.

“Rest in peace, Allen Bailey. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” the Falcons wrote on social media.

Before his weekly news conference Wednesday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Bailey was one of his favorite players and a “great kid.”

“Allen Bailey was an excellent teammate, generous man, and kind soul. We’re deeply saddened to hear of his passing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” the Chiefs said in a team statement.

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Bailey grew up in Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island in southeast Georgia. Hogg Hummock is one of just a few surviving communities for the Gullah-Geechee, whose ancestors worked island slave plantations.

Bailey graduated from McIntosh County High School in 2007 and accepted a scholarship to play at the University of Miami.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with Bailey in 2010 when Miami was playing Georgia Tech in Atlanta. He told the newspaper about his experience growing up on Sapelo Island.

“We have always lived there and I’m pretty much kin to everybody. It’s natural that everyone knows everyone. I have to break this down to people in Miami. It’s just closer in the upbringing, how they want to keep [Sapelo] like it is,” Bailey wrote.

After his four years with the Hurricanes, Kansas City drafted Bailey with the 86th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The defensive end played for the Chiefs from 2011-2018 and the Falcons from 2019-2020.

Bailey finished with a combined 248 tackles and 22 sacks in 133 career games.

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