BJ Thompson ‘Alert’ and ‘Awake’ Following Seizure and Cardiac Arrest at Chiefs Facility, Team Confirms

BJ Thompson is “awake” and “alert” after the defensive lineman experienced a medical emergency at the team’s facility on Thursday, June 6, the Kansas City Chiefs confirmed on Friday.

Rick Burkholder, the Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance for the team, updated reporters on Thompson’s health during a live press conference on June 7, saying, “He’s alert, he’s awake. He’s coming through quite well.”

“He’s coming through quite well. We don’t have a diagnosis and in medicine sometimes you dont have that,” he continued, adding that Thompson is “headed in the absolute right direction.”

Just prior to the conference, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network shared a “positive” update from 25-year-old Thompson’s agent, Chris Turnage, confirming that the Chiefs player has woken up.

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Pelissero wrote, “A positive update: #Chiefs DE BJ Thompson is awake and responsive, according to his agent, Chris Turnage.”

Pelissero added, “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.”

The NFL Network reporter was the first to confirm that Thompson was the player who suffered the medical emergency on Thursday.