The NFL has seen players bond over different things, including growing up in the same hometown, being teammates in college, and shared interests, among others. But bonding over a life-threatening disease is what turned Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith and his new teammate Kenneth Walker III into friends.
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Speaking to Sports Radio 810 WHB on Friday, Smith discussed the ‘Stop the Clot’ campaign that he and Walker were a part of. Trey opened up on how knowing about Walker’s pulmonary emboli helped him connect with the running back.
“When K9 first got here, I didn’t realize he had a pulmonary embolism as well, so that was like a crazy thing. We definitely both have a lot of respect for each other. Going through a circumstance, situation like that, it’s serious. Having the same exact symptoms, same feelings — it’s just like, damn, someone else has been through that same physical issue.”
Smith first developed pulmonary emboli, i.e., clots in his lungs, in 2018, during his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee. Although he was initially cleared to play that season, when the blood clots began to recur, he was sidelined for the rest of the season.
But once the practice sessions turned intense, Trey Smith struggled with even his basic routine and had issues breathing. During a practice session, he even passed out due to lack of breathing, and lost 13 pounds in a single day. Then, a call from his team physician, Dr. Chris Klenck, changed everything.
“And I remember getting that call, and the team doctor’s like, ‘Hey man, wherever you’re at, stay right there. We’re going to rush you to the hospital. Just don’t worry.’ I remember getting to UT Medical, they hooked me up to machines, shots in my body, and I remember just lying in the hospital bed…The doctors opened the door, and I was never able to look on his face. It’s just like so serious. He’s like, ‘Hey son, let you know we found blood clots in both sides of your lungs.”
Following the diagnosis, he was sidelined indefinitely, after which his treatment began. Since returning back to the field in his junior year, the condition hasn’t affected him.
Walker’s case was quite similar. He was in his junior year at Arlington High School when he developed pulmonary emboli. After continuing to power through a few practices despite pain in his chest, his condition worsened, and he ended up spending four nights at a hospital.
“I woke up, and I couldn’t breathe for real,” Walker recalled during a 2022 interview. “I was struggling to breathe.”
Walker had to take blood thinners and shots twice a day for three months to manage the condition. He was finally cleared to play right in time for his senior year.
Smith was already looking forward to blocking for Walker in May, excited at the prospect of working with the running back who had won the Super Bowl just months before joining the Chiefs in free agency.
The two connected quickly upon learning about each other’s experiences and looked back at how far they had come since then.
As a Pro Bowler starting at right guard, Smith anchored the interior line and opened up a path for the team’s running back, ranking as No. 2 overall among NFL right guards and No. 7 among interior offensive linemen in the league. Walker made the best of it, rushing for 360 yards across just three games. He was also named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.
What is the ‘Stop The Clot’ Campaign about?
‘Stop the Clot’ is an initiative aimed at increasing awareness among the public and medical professionals about the symptoms and risks of developing blood clots. Smith explained that people generally expect such issues to afflict the elderly, and often ignore or disregard symptoms associated with conditions like venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes pulmonary embolism.
“When you think about blood clots in general, you might think someone is elderly or sick, but a lot of people are affected throughout this country, throughout the world. When I first got blood clots, I mean, I didn’t, you know, I knew what it was but I didn’t really know how severe it was. And, you know, blood clots can be lethal.”
The initiative is a part of the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA), which partners with major public health organizations like the CDC. Smith has been involved with the organization since 2022 and announced an expanded partnership with them in 2023.
Walker went public with his participation in February 2026, using his Super Bowl journey to raise awareness and highlight the campaign’s cause.