Ryan Clark won't play against Broncos

The health and safety of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark comes first. Consequently, he won't be playing in the high altitude of Denver as the Steelers square off with the Broncos on Sunday in an AFC wild-card game. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made the announcement today. Clark has a sickle cell trait affected by high altitude.

Four years ago, Clark had his spleen and gall bladder removed after experiencing problems after a game in Denver.

The Steelers will start Ryan Mundy in place of Clark. “I met with him and informed him I am not going to allow him to play in the game,” Tomlin told reporters today. "It was an easy decision for us. When looking at all of our data we came to the determination he is at more risk so we are not going to play him. It’s that simple.”

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