Kansas City Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder hailed Harrison Butker as a hero, disclosing on Friday how the kicker played a crucial role in saving a teammate who experienced a medical emergency the day before. Burkholder recounted to a gathering of reporters that when BJ Thompson suffered a sudden seizure during a special teams meeting at the Chiefs’ practice facility, it was Butker who sprang into action to seek assistance.
According to Burkholder, Butker swiftly dashed towards the training room to alert staff members of the situation, enabling them to swiftly respond before matters escalated.
Were Butker’s quick reactions lifesaving?
Despite Thompson’s ordeal, which included him going into cardiac arrest, Burkholder and his team managed to revive the 25-year-old defensive end using CPR and administering one AED shock. Following the incident, Thompson was promptly transported to a nearby hospital, where Burkholder reported that he is now in much improved condition. “He’s alert,” stated the Chiefs official. “He’s awake. He’s responding well.” Burkholder also mentioned that at present, the exact cause of the medical emergency remains unknown. “He’s making significant progress in his recovery,” he concluded.
Our thoughts and prayers are with BJ Thompson. Chiefs Kingdom, help us wish him a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/GkXwG2zfZm
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 7, 2024
Butker has come under sizable criticism of late for his comments made in a commencement speech at a college. During the speech he emphasized that a lot of women would find true happiness in traditional roles such as a homemaker or a mother. This sparked outrage with many suggesting that Butker’s views were antiquated and untrue. The reach of the controversy knew no bounds as even Katy Perry took aim at the Kansas City Chiefs kicker by rewriting the words of his speech to what she deemed to be more acceptable.
Butker has also had on-field troubles too, with new kickoff rules in the NFL potentially limiting his involvement in the 2024 season. As per the new rules, the Chiefs’ coaching staff have admitted they are looking at alternate players to take kick-offs in order not to risk injury to their best field goal kicker.
