Anterio Thompson achieved his dream of making it to the NFL when he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons earlier this year, but the former Washington star has received some heartbreaking news
Former Washington defensive tackle Anterio Thompson
Former Washington defensive tackle Anterio Thompson has been forced to call time on his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons
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Atlanta Falcons rookie Anterio Thompson has been told that he will never play football again after being diagnosed with a genetic mutation of his spinal cord.
The 6-foot-2, 306-pound defensive tackle was drafted out of Washington earlier this year when the Falcons selected him in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, allowing him to achieve his dream of making it to the NFL, yet he has not made a single appearance for the franchise since.
According to ESPN, Thompson, 24, has been on the reserve/non-football injury list since training camp and has not been with the team since the spring, yet neither the player nor the Falcons have communicated any medical issues.
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This week, however, Thompson took to social media to reveal that his professional football dreams were over after being handed a heartbreaking diagnosis, bringing an end to his career in the NFL before it had ever truly started.
"Mentally, I've been better than anyone would be in my situation. I was told I would never play football again due to a genetic mutation in my spinal cord that I had no idea about," Thompson wrote on his Instagram Stories on Thursday.
"As a football player you know one day you'll have to hang up your cleats but you just hope it's on your own terms. It's hard to explain what it feels like to go through the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in the [sic] matter of seconds."
Falcons rookie Anterio Thompson
Thompson announced his diagnosis in a post on his Instagram Stories this week(Image: terio_z/Instagram)
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The following day, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said he had "no update" when reporters asked about Thompson's availability, before the player himself issued another update on his situation shortly after.
"The post I posted Thursday wasn't a cry for help or me asking for sympathy. I just wanted to lay that part of me to rest," Thompson wrote on his Instagram Stories once more.
"Football was everything to me, I just knew regardless how bad the world was around me I had football. This is my last post talking about this publicly as I don't want to bring any more attention to this [than] it needs. I have no further comments."
Thompson had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss during his only season for Washington last year, as the Huskies went 9-4 (5-4 Big Ten) and made it into the postseason, defeating Boise State in the LA Bowl.
Former Washington defensive tackle Anterio Thompson
Thompson, 24, had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss at the University of Washington last season
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He managed three starts in 12 games and also tallied 30 tackles and batted two passes for the program, and had initially sought to get a waiver to play in 2026 before ultimately opting to focus on the NFL.
Prior to his time in Washington, Thompson spent his other three collegiate seasons with different teams, turning out for Iowa Western in 2022, Iowa in 2023, and Western Michigan in 2024.
As for the Falcons (3-4), they are next in action on Sunday (Nov. 1) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) at Raymond James Stadium, where Stefanski's side will be hoping to build on last week's victory over the San Francisco 49ers.