Kansas City Chiefs Player Suffers Cardiac Arrest During Team Meeting, NFL Says

KC Chiefs/Getty BJ Thompson.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end BJ Thompson went into cardiac arrest during a team meeting on June 6, 2024, according to a post on the NFL website.

“The Kansas City Chiefs cancelled all team activities scheduled for Thursday after defensive lineman BJ Thompson suffered a seizure during a special teams meeting and went into cardiac arrest, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported, per sources,” the NFL reported.

The Chiefs had yet to comment on their X accounts. Heavy has reached out to Chiefs public relations for further details. According to CBS Sports, the incident occurred “during a special teams meeting.”

BJ Thompson Is Listed in Stable Condition, the NFL Reported

Chiefs defensive lineman BJ Thompson is in stable condition after having a seizure and going into cardiac arrest during a team meeting, per @TomPelissero.

All team activities have been canceled for today.

The NFL website quoted Pelissero as saying that Kansas City’s medical staff “worked quickly before an ambulance was called, and Thompson is currently in stable condition.”

The Chiefs “announced earlier Thursday that the day’s OTA session was cancelled following a medical emergency that occurred at the team facility,” the NFL website reported.

Thompson was a 2023 fifth-round pick who “appeared in one game during his rookie season,” the NFL reported.

The Chiefs “currently in Phase 3 of their voluntary offseason program. Mandatory minicamp is scheduled to begin on June 11,” the NFL reported.

According to the Chiefs website, “Thompson is a native of England, Arkansas and is the younger brother of a former Chief. A town of less than 3,000 people about 30 minutes from Little Rock, England clearly holds a special place in Thompson’s heart.” The team noted. “His older brother, Blake Mack, signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and participated in training camp that summer.”

“He told me to be patient and to grind every day. Nothing is going to be handed to you, you have to prove yourself every day,” Thompson said, according to the team. “You have to go out there and take it, because there’s always somebody else who wants it just as badly as you.”

BJ Thompson Is Known for His ‘Combination of Speed & Length’ on Special Teams

The Kansas City Chiefs’ bio for Thompson says, “Thompson enters his second season with the Chiefs in 2024. Originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick (166th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 NFL Draft.”

Under transactions, it says, “Originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick (166th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 NFL Draft.”

According to the Chiefs, “The 24-year-old Thompson checks in at 6-foot-6 and 243 pounds with nearly 35-inch arms to go along with impressive speed.” The team noted, “Thompson spent the first two seasons of his career at Baylor, recording four sacks and six tackles-for-loss in 19 games before erupting on the scene at Stephen F. Austin in 2020.”

The Chiefs noted of the player, “Thompson’s combination of speed and length was quite useful on special teams throughout his time in college. Specifically, he tallied a blocked field goal, a blocked extra point and a blocked punt during the 2018 season while playing for Baylor.”

The Chiefs provided these stats on Thompson:

Vertical Jump: 37.5 inches (would have tied for third among defensive ends at the Combine)

Three-Cone Drill: 7.06 seconds (would have ranked third among defensive ends at the Combine)

Broad Jump: 10 feet, five inches (would have ranked seventh among defensive ends at the Combine)