Altitude rules Clark out of Broncos clash

PITTSBURGH STEELERS safety Ryan Clark will not play in Sunday’s wild-card matchup against the Broncos because of a medical condition that is affected by Denver’s high altitude.

Clark, 32, has a sickle cell trait and experienced a violent reaction when the Steelers played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in 2007. He sat out the Steelers’ regular-season game in Denver in 2009 because of the condition.

“I met with him and informed him I am not going to allow him to play in the game,” head coach Mike Tomlin said, according to the team’s website. “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.”