Falcons rookie Anterio Thompson says he was diagnosed with career-ending 'genetic mutation' in spinal cord: 'I was told I would never play football again'

It appears that Atlanta Falcons rookie defensive tackle Anterio Thompson will not be re-taking the field. Thompson, who was placed on the non-football injury list this summer, revealed on Thursday that he had been sidelined due to a career-ending “genetic mutation” on his spinal cord.

Thompson posted the news on his Instagram story on Thursday, which was his 24th birthday. The tackle wrote that he was told about the mutation on May 8, 2026 — just two weeks after the Falcons selected him in the sixth round.

“Blessed to make it to 24. Mentally, I’ve been better than anyone would be in my situation,” Thompson wrote. “I was told I would never play football again due to a genetic mutation in my spinal cord that I had no idea about.”

In the post, Thompson wrote that he believes “everything happens for a reason,” but was understandably sadden by the situation.

“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,” he wrote. “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.”

Thompson was selected by Atlanta 208th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft out of Washington, where he spent his senior season after stints with Iowa and Western Michigan. On May 14, the Falcons announced that they had agreed to terms with Thompson and fellow rookie Avieon Terrell.

Two months later, on July 29, Atlanta officially placed Thompson on the NFI list, where he has remained since the start of the season.

Atlanta head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about Thompson’s status during a press conference on Friday, but the coach did not have any updates on the tackle’s condition.

It is unclear if Thompson will choose to medically retire, but for now he will stay on the Falcons’ roster as a reserve.