The Kansas City Chiefs third round draft pick Allen Bailey grew up on Sapelo Island, a rural community off of the Georgia coast. It's so rural in fact that I doubt any of you could hold a candle to Bailey's outdoor stories.
He touched up one such rural sentiment on ESPN's First Take Thursday morning (video above). On Sapelo Island, Bailey had plenty of exposure to the wild.
From a 2007 ESPN article:
Growing up on Sapelo, Allen Bailey fished and hunted with his father and brothers. The island has herds of deer, wild boar and wild cattle, along with smaller game such as rabbits and raccoons. Residents often find alligators lurking in their backyard sloughs, and rattlesnakes are sometimes found under front porches.
And more:
Bailey's father has a small garden where he grows corn, tomatoes, okra and watermelons during the summer. A neighbor raises chickens, which can sometimes be bartered for vegetables. The Baileys hunt for much of their meat. When Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong visited Bailey in early December, he was given a taste of the local cuisine at one of the church's Christmas dinners. Strong was surprised to learn he was eating raccoon.
That was one of the first questions ESPN asked Bailey in the interview above after he was drafted: "Do you prefer raccoon or possum?"
Me? I've never had either one but I'm going to assume raccoon is tastier, if for no other reason than possums scare the hell out of me. If you ever see me out having a couple beers, ask me about the time Old Man Thorman found possums were living under our back porch growing up. His possum-catching claims are reaching mythical levels.