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Former Kansas City Chiefs star Allen Bailey has died at the age of 37. The ex-NFL defensive end was discovered by his wife at their Florida home on Tuesday, his brother, Alford Bailey Jr, confirmed to TMZ, with the family believing he died as a result of natural causes.
A number of Bailey's former colleagues have already expressed their grief following his death, including ex-Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen, who paid his respects with a post on X that read: "Lost a teammate, a friend, a brother. God needed another angel. Rest easy, my brother."
Colin McCarthy, who was Bailey's former colleague at the University of Miami, also extended his sympathies, writing: "Lost a fellow brother today... prayers to AB family! Love you Big Cuzzo!"
Bailey spent 10 seasons in the NFL and was a team-mate of Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes after being selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2011 draft from the University of Miami. He spent his first eight seasons in Kansas City before joining the Atlanta Falcons in 2019 and retiring two years later.
Throughout his seven-year stint with the Chiefs from 2011 to 2018, Bailey made 102 regular-season appearances, starting 61 of those, registering 207 total tackles, 19.5 sacks, 32 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback hits.
He also forced four fumbles and recovered as many while helping Kansas City secure three successive AFC West division titles from 2016 to 2018.
After that final campaign, Bailey joined the Falcons for his last two NFL seasons, where he provided crucial veteran leadership and featured in the defensive line rotation.
Throughout his 31 matches for the club, Bailey started five times and registered 2.5 sacks, though he was eventually released by the organisation in February 2021, after two unsuccessful seasons with the Falcons (7-9 in 2019 and 4-12 in 2020).
Bailey ended his professional career with 22 sacks and 248 combined tackles over 133 regular-season NFL matches.
After hanging up his boots, Bailey ensured he supported his hometown community of McIntosh County, Georgia, through his foundation, the Allen Bailey Foundation, consistently arranging backpack drives during back-to-school season and a turkey drive ahead of Thanksgiving for children and families.
Bailey also organised an annual football camp for youngsters aged 11 through 18 - completely free - in his native Southeast Georgia region, inviting NFL guest coaches including Lamar Miller, Olivier Vernon, and Allen Hurns to motivate them.
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