The last time Ryan Clark played football in Denver, it nearly killed him. Clark's sickle-cell disease meant that his blood attacked his gall bladder and spleen forcing Clark to have both removed and sidelining him for the remainder of the 2007 season. He lost more than 30 pounds and needed months to recover.
So now he has to decide if he's willing to risk playing in the thin air of Denver two weeks from now. It's a big game for the Steelers, but Clark, understandably, is only going to play if doctors can give him a clean bill of health. Right now, it's hard to say which way Clark is going to decide. He's run as many tests as can be run. Doctors have poked and prodded him. But it appears that no one can tell him for sure that Clark won't have another bad reaction to the altitude.
"I can promise you I will be on the plane, either way, and we'll just figure it out from there," Clark said.At this point, it's hard to believe that any new information will come out between now and Nov. 8 to give Clark a more certain explanation. And with that being the case, as big as the Steelers-Broncos game is for Pittsburgh, it seems to be better safe than sorry. For one, Clark shouldn't risk his life for one football game. And from a football standpoint, missing Clark for one game is bad, but losing Clark for the rest of the season like in 2007 would be a crushing blow for Pittsburgh.
The bad news for the Steelers is that if Clark sits out, they could be without three starters. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons sprained his ankle against the Vikings while Travis Kirschke suffered a calf injury. If Kirschke misses the game, the Steelers will be down to their third-string defensive end since Aaron Smith is already out with a rotator cuff injury.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
10-27-2009 @ 9:02AM
onlyabill6 said...
STEELERS SUCK!!!
Reply
10-27-2009 @ 1:12PM
crzecrw said...
Ohhh well Bill6 u think we suck but we the only ones with da six baby soooo yinz team must really suck!!!!
10-27-2009 @ 3:37PM
rck8543 said...
Very articulate. You are a shinning example of why America is in decline.
10-27-2009 @ 4:26PM
jay said...
the refs will make sure he's ok. they're always there to save the squeelers
10-27-2009 @ 4:54PM
WHATZ UP? said...
BILL, YOUR ARE EITHER FROM BOSTON, DALLAS OR CLEVELAND. YOUI Q IS GIVING YOU AWAY.
10-27-2009 @ 5:18PM
bleudog2 said...
Mature, really mature!!! AND Classy!!!
10-27-2009 @ 7:55PM
farnoosh said...
You suck toolbag. That doesn't even make sense. THEY HAVE SIX SUPERBOWLS DOUCHEBAG! How many does your sorry ass team have?
10-27-2009 @ 9:35PM
mitchelsbay said...
YOU SUCK!
10-27-2009 @ 9:47AM
bpgpitt said...
This is ridiculous. Planes are pressured to 6,900 feet. If the altitude is the reason for the sickle cell problem, Clark couldn't fly.
Reply
10-27-2009 @ 12:39PM
justlegalizeit09 said...
so you are comparing sitting in a seat doing nothing to playing professional football??? its not the altitude that messes him up its a combination of the altitude and a hard hard workout....
10-27-2009 @ 12:44PM
Susan said...
much easier to stay well hydrated and cool during a plane flight than while sweating during a football game.
10-27-2009 @ 1:58PM
bapstko said...
I can see you are not a Hematologist or you would make such inaccurate assumptions about a condition that you know nothing about! There is a difference in sitting in an air plane and physically exhausting yourself in a contact sport in a different alltitude. Whoooza....some people just have to add there non-sense to the mix everytime!
10-27-2009 @ 4:29PM
r4249622 said...
the climate is controled in a jet
10-27-2009 @ 5:06PM
WHATZ UP? said...
THANK YOU DR BPGPITT.
10-27-2009 @ 5:15PM
Boop said...
Should probably do a little research on Sickle-cell anemia... it isn't just about altitude. Nothing is worth risking one's life.
10-27-2009 @ 5:22PM
dretis said...
well , 1st off as you said, the plane iIS PRESSURIZED, that means the atmosphere in the plane is compressed to sea level pressure so as to eliminate thin air problems. 2nd he is not running sprints on the plane, so his body is not forced to deal with the lack of air , IF, it were not presurized. so yes he can fly, and he could even live in col. but the stress he would be under under stressful exercise could kill him.
now ya know.
10-27-2009 @ 7:49PM
Jonathan said...
its not the lack of pressure at that altitude that does it, its the lack of oxygen in the air. When he's not excersizing or putting his body under the stress similar to that in a football game, it shouldn't really have any effect. the sickle cell anemia causes the blood cells in his body to become deformed and dangerous when lacking enough oxygen.
10-28-2009 @ 9:39AM
James said...
Actually pressure IS the issue. There is the same amount of oxygen up here in Denver, its the lack of airpressure to push the oxygen into your lungs. The higher you are in altitude the lest atmosphere there is to push down on you, which means leass pressure to get the O2 into your lungs. Did anyone take Biology? And planes are not pressurized to sea level. They are usually around 7,000 feet+/- if I remember correctly.
10-30-2009 @ 10:11AM
irishcam012 said...
its not the altitude, its blood moving fast and his body working hard at altitude. come-on have some common sense!
10-27-2009 @ 12:37PM
BrandonEatWrld said...
HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!!
Reply