Today, Trey Smith is a two-time Super Bowl champion, a Pro Bowl honoree, and a key member of one of the NFL’s most successful teams in recent memory.
The 6’6″ guard, who was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2021 NBA Draft, has also started every game in which he has been healthy and has been instrumental in keeping Patrick Mahomes safe throughout several deep postseason runs.
However, Smith’s path to the NFL wasn’t a clear one. There was even a genuine chance at one time that he wouldn’t be let into the league.
Trey Smith talks about his health issues
Smith revealed the details of the health issue that nearly put an end to his football career before it even started during his most recent visit on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast.
Smith remembered: “I passed out… I lost 13 pounds in a day,”. “I remember walking to the library and having to stop like seven times to catch my breath. They rushed me to the hospital [and found] blood clots in both sides of my lungs.”
“The doctors told me, ‘If you have blood clots two times, you’ll never play football again.’ I was done in my mind.”
“I took blood thinner every single day of the week except Friday morning, and I would just wake up and play on Saturdays.”
Smith’s entire football career was in doubt after receiving the diagnosis. He was put on blood thinners, warned that contact sports were extremely risky, and cautioned that his career would end if the clots returned.
