Chiefs stars' Kansas City charity softball game goes ahead, despite BJ Thompson suffering cardiac arrest in team meeting just hours earlier

Kansas City Chiefs stars Justin Reid and Trey Smith went ahead with their charity softball event Thursday night - just hours after teammate BJ Thompson suffered cardiac arrest. 

The Chiefs had to postpone OTA practice earlier in the day when defensive lineman  Thompson had a seizure in a special teams meeting and went into cardiac arrest.

With Thompson now in a stable condition in hospital, according to NFL network reporter Tom Pelissero, his teammates' charity event went ahead. 

Reid and Smith hosted the second annual Kansas City charity softball game, which was formerly organized by Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills this offseason. 

Their Chiefs teammates turned up at Legends Field, where the Kansas City Monarchs play, to show their support. 

The Chiefs team chaplain held a moment of prayer ahead of the game for Thompson, according to Fox4KC's Harold R. Kuntz.  

The likes of Louis Rees-Zammit - the former Wales rugby international - Drue Tranquill, Jaden Hicks and even defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo turned up for the offense vs defense event.

Chiefs super fan James Droz was slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the game, while some fans were lucky enough to meet the players if they splashed out for the $1,000 meet-and-greet passes. 

It was announced on the night that $200,000 was raised with proceeds going to Reid and Smith's respective foundations. 

The charity event came after the team was forced to cancel their practice session on Thursday following Thompson's scare. 

'The Chiefs canceled all team activities today after a backup defensive lineman had a seizure in a special teams meeting and went into cardiac arrest, per sources,' Pelissero wrote on X. 

'The team's medical staff worked quickly, an ambulance was called and the player is currently in stable condition.'

According to The Athletic, the Chiefs will practice Friday. The team has been contacted for comment but media availability that had been schedules with coach Andy Reid is now canceled. 

Thompson, 25, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2023 from Stephen F. Austin university in Texas. He has played once for the team, against the Chargers in January - the final game of the regular season. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce missed that game, with a place in the playoffs already secured.

Last week, Thompson was part of the Chiefs team that visited the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl title with President Biden. He shared several pictures from the visit to his Instagram account and joked in the caption that the trip 'got me feeling like the president.'

Speaking to media last May, after being picked by the Chiefs, Thompson, who grew up in Arkansas, said: 'I just want to put on for my town and show them that anything is possible, no matter where you come from. Hopefully I am accomplishing that.

'Me and my friends, we all had dreams and goals of NFL, NBA but along the lines, dreams kind of die off and people get other plans. 

'For me, it never really did. I always had in the back of my head I was going to play professional sports and I was blessed enough to make it happen.'

Time will tell what this means for Thompson's career but Damar Hamlin had a cardiac arrest on the field when his Buffalo Bills team played Cincinnati Bengals. He returned to the game last season, playing eight times.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been leading his players through OTAs this week, with the team beginning preparations ahead of their shot at an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title in the new season.

Reid's team have held practice this week ahead of a mandatory minicamp next week, running from June 11-13, where Mahomes will join up again with Travis Kelce.  OTAs typically see teams run drills with no physical contact.