Chiefs Place Rookie Safety on IR With Designated to Return to Treat PTSD After Heartbreaking Loss of Girlfriend

Posted August 28, 2025

Kansas City, MO – August 28, 2025 – Chiefs training camp is usually about battles for roster spots, but this year one storyline has overshadowed football. A tragedy far from the field has changed everything for one rookie.

The sadness spread quickly after news broke of Lina Bina, a beloved online creator known as MissJohnDough, passing away at just 24. Complications from a third cosmetic surgery left her community and the NFL world in shock.

Inside Arrowhead’s locker room, the news weighed especially heavy. Coaches and players who had seen a rookie fight for every snap now realized he faced a different kind of struggle — one no playbook could prepare him for.

That rookie is Will Brooks, an undrafted safety from Tennessee. On Tuesday, the Chiefs placed him on Injured Reserve with a designation to return, citing PTSD linked to the heartbreaking loss of his longtime girlfriend.

Brooks’ path to Kansas City was defined by resilience. A defensive leader in the SEC, he led Tennessee in interceptions in 2024 and earned his shot with the Chiefs despite being overlooked in the draft. Teammates recall how Lina’s presence fueled his drive.

“She worked so hard so I could keep my focus on football. She believed in me through every setback. But by the time I finally made it… she was already gone,” Brooks said quietly, surrounded by teammates offering support.

Head coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach made it clear that Brooks’s health comes first, reminding everyone that Kansas City’s culture is about more than just winning. “Family is always part of this team,” one coach noted.

The Chiefs will miss Brooks’s speed and potential in the secondary early this season, but the decision ensures he has the space to heal. For him, every return to the field will be about more than football — it will be about love, loss, and resilience.

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