A Timeline of Kansas City Chiefs Player BJ Thompson's Cardiac Arrest and Recovery

Kansas City Chiefs backup defensive lineman BJ Thompson experienced a seizure and went into cardiac arrest on June 6, 2024.

The medical emergency occurred during a "special teams meeting" at the Chiefs facility in Kansas City, reported NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.

Thompson was transported by ambulance to the hospital and is reportedly in stable condition. Chiefs' medical staff "immediately" responded to the emergency when the athlete started to seize, according to reports.

The second-year pro’s agent, Chris Turnage, visited the player in the hospital and gave an update on his health later that night, which was further shared by Pelissero on X.

At the live press conference on June 7, Chiefs Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance Rick Burkholder shared details from the medical emergency and provided an update on Thompson's health. He noted that everyone involved was "phenomenal in handling the crisis" at the Chiefs facility.

Head coach Andy Reid and select players were originally scheduled to speak to media on June 6, but after the incident, their conference was pushed to June 7, per astatementon the NFL website.

Currently, the Chiefs are in OTA offseason practices, which include drills but no contact plays, and will begin their mandatory minicamp on June 11 through June 13, according toCBS.

Here’s a timeline of BJ Thompson’s medical emergency, including what we know so far.

BJ Thompson, a backup defensive lineman on the Kansas City Chiefs, experienced a seizure and went into cardiac arrest the morning of June 6.

The medical emergency happened during a team meeting at the Chiefs facility in Kansas City. A source told NFL Network'sTom Pelissero that the athlete was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he was reportedly in stable condition.

Multiple sources told Pelissero that the Chiefs' medical staff "immediately" responded to the emergency when Thompson began seizing during a "special teams meeting."

The team cancelled all team activiti -

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es that day, per a statement posted to the official NFL website. Media availability scheduled, featuring head coach Andy Reid and select players, was postponed to June 7.

Later that night, Pelissero tweeted an update from Thompson's agent Chris Turnage, who had visited the player in the hospital. "BJ is still unconscious at this point, but he’s stable and vitals are good. His family asks for your continued prayers," he wrote on X.

Pelissero tweeted another update from Turnage on Thompson's status on June 7. "One day after Thompson suffered a seizure and went into cardiac arrest during a special teams meeting, the second-year pro’s prognosis is good," he wrote.

The update came shortly before the Kansas City Chiefs' press conference, which was postponed from the day prior. Rick Burkholder, the Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance for the team,shared further details on Thompson's health at the presser.

"He's alert, he's awake. He's coming through quite well," Burkholder said during a live press conference that afternoon.

"We don't have a diagnosis and in medicine sometimes you don't have that," he continued, adding that Thompson is "headed in the absolute right direction."

Burkholder also noted that Chiefs kickerHarrison Butker acted quickly when his teammate began seizing. "Butker immediately ran towards the training room and grabbed additional assistance from team staff," the VP told reporters.

"As a team, we tried to stabilize BJ and then put him on the floor while he was still seizing and then he went into cardiac arrest," Burkholder shared, revealing that Thompson received an automated external defibrillator (AED) shock and was only in cardiac arrest for roughly a minute.

Chiefs safety Justin Reid also spoke to media during Friday's conference, saying Butker is "that guy" when it comes to his teammates. "Harrison's that guy, he loves all of us and we're a family."

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