Chiefs Credit Harrison Butker For Alerting Trainers After Teammate BJ Thompson's Cardiac Arrest

Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman BJ Thompson is doing better now after suffering a cardiac arrest during a special teams meeting Thursday. He's alert, awake and recovering at a local hospital.

But that moment when he went into cardiac arrest, witnessed by teammates and others, was frantic. And one player kept his wits about him to help save his teammate. 

Kicker Harrison Butker.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 26: Place kicker Harrison Butker #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates kicking a field goal in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 31-17. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)

Butker Makes Dash For Help

"With BJ, when he had this seizure, Butker immediately ran towards the training room and grabbed [assistant athletic trainer] Julie Frymyer and [assistant athletic trainer] David Glover, and then grabbed me," Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder told reporters on Friday.

"We went into the room. Eventually, [assistant athletic trainer] Tiffany Morton and [assistant athletic trainer] Evan Craft came in as well as, with this facility we have a doctor's office down the hall, and Dr. J.P. Darche from Kansas University Health System was there, he came up and assisted.

"As a team we tried to stabilize BJ and put him on the floor while he was still seizing and then he went into cardiac arrest. So our team of that group of people provided CPR for him."

Burkholder said his team administered one automated external defibrillator (AED) shock and Thompson "came back."

"He was only in cardiac arrest of less than a minute, a minute-and-a-half," Burkholder said. "Our players, our security staff, everybody involved, coaching staff, they were phenomenal in handling the crisis."

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - AUGUST 19: BJ Thompson #53 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks off the field during a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

BJ Thompson Trending In Right Direction

Thompson was then turned over to paramedics who transported him to Kansas University Hospital where he spent the night heavily sedated.

Thompson was on a ventilator overnight but is out of sedation now.

"He's alert, he's awake, he's coming through quite well," Buckholder said.

There is no diagnosis at this point, but Buckholder added Thompson is headed in the absolute right direction.. 

And this is the part were irony comes into play.

Butker, you'll recall, is the player who has been the target of much scorn from people outside the Chiefs organization since he delivered a commencement speech at Benedictine College the first week of May.

That speech criticized President Biden for his abortion stance in context of his Catholic faith, contrasted pride month to Godly pride, and encouraged women to be mothers and wives and resist lies they couldn't be happy doing that.

That led people to start online petitions to have Butker kicked off the team. Moveon.org advocated Butker be "fired" and "banned."

The Kansas City Star ran editorials calling for Butker's ouster.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 10: Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on during the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Reid Supports Butker's Roster Spot

The Chiefs, meanwhile, have stood their ground. Coach Andy Reid and club ownership has stood by Butker. Teammate Chris Jones strongly defended Butker online and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has vouched for Butker as a person.

And while these two issues have nothing to do with one another in that any right thinking and fast-acting person would have run to seek immediate help, it doesn't change the fact it was Butker.

And now let's play this scenario out if the voices calling for Butker's immediate ouster had gotten their way.

Maybe someone else in that meeting would have eventually reacted to Thompson's plight and sought help.

But no one would have done it as fast as Butker because, well, he was the only one who acted in getting that help.

And, as with all cardiac events, seconds matter.

It's a good bet B.J. Thompson is glad today that Harrison Butker is still on the team and was in that meeting.