BJ Thompson appeared to be on the mend Thursday and has a teammate to thank for saving his life.
He Kansas City Chiefs The defensive end suffered a seizure and went into cardiac arrest during a team meeting Thursday morning.
Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs' vice president of sports medicine and performance, said the team held a meeting earlier in the week about “scenarios 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, when Thompson suffered a seizure, it was Harrison Butker who alerted the team's medical staff.
“When he had the seizure, Butker immediately ran into the training room and grabbed [assistant athletic trainers] “Julie Frymyer and David Glover grabbed me and we went into the room,” Burkholder told NFL Network on Friday.
“As a team, we tried to stabilize BJ and put him on the ground while he was still having seizures,” Burkholder added. “He then went into cardiac arrest. Our team from that group of people provided him with CPR. He went into AD shock and came back, so he was only in cardiac arrest for less than a minute, minute and a half.
“Our players, our security staff, everyone involved, coaches and staff, were phenomenal in handling the crisis.”
BJ Thompson of the Kansas City Chiefs leaves the field during a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
CHIEF'S BJ THOMPSON 'WAKE UP AND RESPONSIBLE' AFTER SEIZURE AND CARDIAC ARRESTS: AGENT
Butker has become a polarizing figure in recent weeks due to a commencement speech she gave at Benedictine College, where she urged female graduates to embrace being “homemakers” and criticized the LGBTQ community and President Biden for his position on abortion.
In the speech, Butker added: “Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media, all arise from the pervasiveness of disorder.”
Butker attended the Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration at the White House last week.
And sales of his jerseys have skyrocketed at NFL Shop, while many in the media remain divided over the speech.
Thompson's agent said Friday that Thompson is “awake and responsive.”
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end BJ Thompson (53) during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. (Orlando Ramirez/USA Today Sports)
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Thompson enters his second season with the Chiefs after being selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. He appeared in one game during his rookie season against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18, and recorded two tackles.
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