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Former Seahawks Star Details Near Amputation After 2016 Wild Card Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Jan 15, 2025 6:25 AM ET

A former Seattle Seahawks star recently detailed his horrific experience of nearly having his fingers amputated after playing in a frigid NFL game.

Four-time Pro Bowl defensive back Kam Chancellor recently spoke to ESPN's Elizabeth Merrill and Stephen Holder for their piece on the freezing Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins Wild Card game played in January of last year.

The temperature at Arrowhead Stadium that day dropped to minus 4 degrees at kickoff, resulting in a few Chiefs fans having to undergo amputations due to the severe frostbite they developed during the game.

Chancellor nearly suffered the same fate after the Seahawks' Wild Card contest against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 10, 2016. The matchup remains the third-coldest in NFL history, with the temperature dropping to as low as minus 6.

A few days after the game, Chancellor "noticed black marks on his fingertips and fingernails." Team doctors later diagnosed him with frostbite.

"I had never had frostbite," the ex-Seahawks safety told ESPN. "I was like, 'Wait, are y'all going to cut my fingers off?'"

Doctors told Chancellor that amputation was indeed a possibility. But the Seahawks defender's fingers had just enough healthy tissue to recover. He needed three full months for both the coloring and sensation in his fingers to revert back to normal.

While the Seahawks players were wearing protective gloves during the game, doctors theorized that Chancellor's sweat may have frozen to the point of causing the frostbite.

"You're out there playing in that cold weather and you're out there sweating," Chancellor added. "And then once you take a timeout, you're standing or sitting down, now all that sweat is on you and it's cold as hell. So, sweat makes it worse."

The Seahawks won the contest over the Vikings in a sluggish 10-9 affair. Chancellor had three tackles and forced a fumble in the game, which nearly cost him his fingers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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