During Trey Smith’s sophomore year at the University of Tennessee, he was diagnosed with a blood clot disorder known as pulmonary emboli.
The Kansas City Chiefs guard could have hung up his jersey and pads at that moment, but he decided to keep playing. Fast-forward to 2024 and his third season in the NFL, and he’s playing for back-to-back championships.
“Blood clotting is very common and it’s something that doesn’t get touched upon, so when I got diagnosed with pulmonary emboli, I didn’t know what that meant,” Smith told rolling out. “I was like ‘what does that mean?’ ”
Smith had blood clots in his lungs and said they were pretty severe and he thought that his football career was over, but a conversation he had with himself changed everything.
“I’m just praying, talking to God and for some reason in my mind, he put the vision in me being able to play again, live out my dreams playing in the NFL, and I believed that,” Smith said. “Even after all the doctors and various people saying ‘Hey man you’re crazy, don’t do it. It’s too dangerous.’ I didn’t believe it, I believed in God. He did his part, I had to do mine. I had to uphold my end of the job, just go to work everyday and see what happens. I wouldn’t be here without God.”
Last season, Smith partnered with the National Blood Clot Alliance as a part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” program. Smith doesn’t mind giving back and helping others who have experienced blood clots, and he shared warning signs of the condition at Super Bowl opening night.
“If you have shortness of breath, or you’re feeling these sort of symptoms like pain in the leg, swelling or red areas, go ahead and get checked out, and make sure you’re OK,” Smith said.
“In terms of people with aspirations to get to the next level and they’ve been diagnosed with blood clots. understand that if you still want to pursue your dreams and do the things that you love, there are various avenues [to do that]. Medical [treatments] have changed a lot,” he said.
