B.J. Thompson leaves hospital four days after seizure, cardiac arrest at Chiefs OTAs

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end B.J. Thompson left the hospital on Monday afternoon to return home four days after suffering a seizure and going into cardiac arrest at OTAs last week. Thompson spent four days in the hospital but he is now back on the mend with a solid prognosis. The Chiefs defender’s agent, Chris Turnage, shared an update with NFL insider Tom Pelissero on Monday night, saying that Thompson’s return home is a big step forward.

“The family thanks everyone for their prayers and wants to especially thank the Chiefs medical and training staff for their rapid response and professionalism throughout this situation,” Turnage told Pelissero.

The former undrafted rookie free agent had the medical emergency during a special teams meeting on Thursday. Kansas City’s medical and training staffs tended to Thompson until an ambulance arrived to take him to a local hospital where he was put in stable condition. The team canceled the on-field practice that they had scheduled and pushed it to Friday. They also moved media availability for head coach Andy Reid and players to Friday as well.

After the scary medical incident, Thompson was unconscious at the hospital until Friday. He then awoke and was responsive on Friday, beginning his journey to a full recovery.

Thompson suffers seizure, cardiac arrest at OTAs

Thompson was a fifth-round pick for the Chiefs in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Stephen F. Austin. Thompson, an Arkansas native, initially started his career at Baylor before transferring to SFA in 2020. He became an immediate impact player for the Lumberjacks. The second-year defender saw action in one game as a rookie for the Chiefs, posting two tackles in a January matchup against the Chargers. He won his first Super Bowl ring with Kansas City in Super Bowl LVIII.

Thompson, an Arkansas native, initially started his career at Baylor before transferring to SFA in 2020. He became an immediate impact player for the Lumberjacks. He posted 8.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2020, and 12.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 2021. In his final season before entering the draft, Thompson had 23 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles in 2022.

While at Baylor, he played in nine games as a freshman and made one start. In 2018, he had just two starts but played in 10 games. He finished second on the team with four sacks, adding 5.5 TFL and 15 total tackles.