B.J. Thompson appeared to be on the mend Thursday and had a teammate to thank for saving his life.
this kansas city chiefs The defensive end suffered a seizure and suffered cardiac arrest during a team meeting Thursday morning.
Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder said the team held a meeting earlier this week to discuss “situations” such as Thompson’s emergency.
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Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs arrives at Allegiant Stadium before the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
During Thursday’s meeting, Harrison Butker alerted the team’s medical staff when Thompson suffered a seizure.
“When Butker had his seizure, he immediately ran to the training room and grabbed [assistant athletic trainers] Julie Frymire and David Glover grabbed me and we walked into the room,” Burkholder told NFL Network on Friday.
“As a team, we tried to stabilize B.J. and keep him on the floor while he was still catching the ball,” Burkholder added. “Then he went into cardiac arrest. Our team of guys gave him CPR. He went through a bout of AD shock and came back, so his cardiac arrest lasted less than a minute and a half.”
“Our players, our security staff — everyone involved, coaches and staff — they did a great job handling the crisis.”
BJ Thompson of the Kansas City Chiefs walks off the field during a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on August 19, 2023. . (Rick Tapia/Getty Images)
Chiefs player BJ Thompson ‘awake and responsive’ after seizure, cardiac arrest: Agent
Butker has become a polarizing figure in recent weeks for his commencement address at Benedictine College in which he urged female graduates to embrace being “homemakers” and criticized the LGBTQ community and President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion .
“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, and the growing support for degenerate cultural values and the media all stem from widespread confusion,” Butker added in his speech.
Butker attended the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration at the White House last week.
His jersey sales have exploded on NFL Shop, while many media outlets remain divided over his speech.
Thompson’s agent said Friday that Thompson was “awake and responsive.”
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end B.J. Thompson (53) during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. (Orlando Mirez/USA TODAY Sports)
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Thompson is entering his second season with the Chiefs after being selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft. He played in one game against the team during his rookie season Los Angeles Chargers In Week 18, he had two tackles.
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