Harrison Butker Alerted Chiefs Trainers to BJ Thompson's Seizure at Team Facility

Kansas City Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder detailed the team's response to defensive end BJ Thompson suffering a seizure and a cardiac arrest on Thursday, and he revealed kicker Harrison Butker played a key role in getting help for Thompson.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Burkholder said Butker ran toward the training room to alert team doctors that Thompson was seizing during a special teams meeting.

After Butker alerted the team doctors, more of the medical staff rushed to the special teams room to stabilize Thompson. The staff provided CPR to Thompson and administered one shock with an automatic defibrillator, so Burkholder estimated that Thompson was in cardiac arrest for "less than a minute- a minute and a half." He went on to praise those involved for their response to the emergency.

"Our players, our security staff, everyone involved, coaches and staff, they were phenomenal in handling this crisis," Burkholder said.

Paramedics transferred Thompson to Kansas University Hospital. It was reported on Thursday that he was in stable condition and his agent told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that doctors were "optimistic about his recovery."

Thompson's agent told Pelissero on Friday that the 25-year-old was awake and responsive.

"He's alert, he's awake. He's coming through quite well," Burkholder said, adding that there isn't yet a diagnosis for what caused Thompson's medical emergency but he's "headed in the absolute right direction."

The Chiefs canceled practice on Thursday following Thompson's emergency and rescheduled the last day of OTAs for Friday. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions will hold a mandatory minicamp on June 11-13 before reconvening for training camp in July.