Who is B.J. Thompson? Chiefs player in stable condition after being taken to hospital following seizure and cardiac arrest

Tyler Greenawalt

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Who is B.J. Thompson? Chiefs player in stable condition after being taken to hospital following seizure and cardiac arrest image

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end B.J. Thompson was identified as the player who was rushed to a hospital after he had a seizure during a special teams meeting, per ESPN's Adam Teicher.

The Chiefs canceled all football activities on Thursday after the emergency.

Thompson went into cardiac arrest after the seizure but is now in stable condition, per reports. Team doctors and athletic trainers immediately responded to Thompson after his seizure, per The Athletic's Nate Taylor.

Thompson woke up Friday afternoon after being unconscious earlier in the day, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Who is Chiefs DE B.J. Thompson?

The Chiefs drafted Thompson, 25, with the No. 166 pick of the fifth round in 2023 out of Stephen F. Austin. Thompson played in one game this past season. He recorded two combined tackles in 28 defensive snaps in the Chiefs' Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Thompson also played in 16 special teams snaps.

Thompson originally played two seasons at Baylor before he transferred to SFA in 2019. Thompson tallied four sacks and six tackles for a loss in 19 games with the Bears. He had 8.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks in 10 starts for the Lumberjacks in 2020 and won Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year. Thompson added 9.5 sacks in 2021 and five sacks in 2022.

The second-year defensive end is also the younger brother of tight end Blake Mack, who signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2018 but didn't make the team.

This story will continue to be updated as more information comes out.

Reactions to B.J. Thompson news

Thompson's college head coach, Colby Carthel posted a prayer for his former player on social media soon after Thompson was identified.

The Chiefs team chaplain held a moment of silence before a celebrity softball game after the news of Thompson's emergency.

Chiefs players and coaches react to Thompson's emergency

Chiefs player and coaches spoke about the Thompson incident at Friday's practice.

Head trainer Rick Burkholder went into deeper detail as to what happened with Thompson during Thursday's practice. Burkholder explained that after Thompson went into cardiac arrest, kicker Harrison Butker ran to grab the team's trainers to attend to Thompson. An ambulance transported the defensive end to a hospital, where he stayed overnight.

Chiefs safety credited Butker and the training staff for their speed in making sure Thompson was OK.

"Harrison [Butker] is that guy and he loves all of us," Reid said, per The Athletic's Nate Taylor. "It's much deeper than football. In a moment like that, you have to put yourself in action."

Defensive end George Karlaftis added that the team is "blessed to have such great teammates and athletic trainers."

Tyler Greenawalt

Tyler Greenawalt Photo

 

Tyler Greenawalt is a contributing writer for The Sporting News after stops at Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports and Turner Sports. He’s worked in written, video, social media and augmented reality content since he graduated from Syracuse University in 2014. His favorite teams – the New York Jets, Orlando Magic and Tottenham Hotspur – always find new and exciting ways to disappoint him, and he consistently questions his fandom. You can follow his bad sports takes at @TyGreen14 on X.