Chiefs’ BJ Thompson awake, alert after cardiac arrest

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs vice president Rick Burkholder gave a positive update on BJ Thompson, saying the defensive end is alert, awake and “coming through quite well [and] headed in the absolute right direction.”

Thompson, 25, suffered seizures and went into cardiac arrest Thursday while in a special teams meeting at the Chiefs’ practice facility.

Burkholder, Kansas City’s vice president of sports medicine and performance, said kicker Harrison Butker left the meeting to alert the team’s medical personnel of Thompson’s situation. He said Thompson was initially treated by athletic trainers and a team doctor until fire department personnel arrived.

Thompson was in cardiac arrest for a minute to a minute and a half, Burkholder said, before he was transported to a local hospital. He said Thompson was sedated Thursday and through the night and was on a ventilator overnight to help with breathing.

Thompson regained consciousness Friday and was removed from the ventilator.

“We don’t have a diagnosis,” Burkholder said. “And in medicine, sometimes you don’t have that.”

The Chiefs held a team meeting before Friday’s practice to update players on Thompson’s progress.

“If it had to happen, no better place than right here where you have the support that knows what to do,” coach Andy Reid said.