Remember Ryan Clark, the DB who couldn't play in Denver?

[Sope Creek]

That was because of an adverse reaction his body had to playing at altitude . . . because of a condition called "sickle cell trait". Clark had to had his spleen removed because of that reaction.

Well, Tevin Coleman apparently has the same condition and won't play games in Denver: http://espn.go.com/blog/atlanta-fal...-tevin-coleman-runs-through-sickle-cell-trait

Sorry if y'all already have heard this . . . it was news to me. It explains Coleman's extended rests during games in hot weather, and his limited time in the Missouri game.

I wonder how Atlanta's weather (hot, and sometimes really, really humid) and elevation (between 1000 and 1200 feet) will affect his game performances, if at all.

The linked story also says that CKW has had - or has, I can't remember - 3 or 4 players with the same condition.

Hunh.

 

[SuperHoosier]

That was because of an adverse reaction his body had to playing at altitude . . . because of a condition called "sickle cell trait". Clark had to had his spleen removed because of that reaction.

Well, Tevin Coleman apparently has the same condition and won't play games in Denver: http://espn.go.com/blog/atlanta-fal...-tevin-coleman-runs-through-sickle-cell-trait

Sorry if y'all already have heard this . . . it was news to me. It explains Coleman's extended rests during games in hot weather, and his limited time in the Missouri game.

I wonder how Atlanta's weather (hot, and sometimes really, really humid) and elevation (between 1000 and 1200 feet) will affect his game performances, if at all.

The linked story also says that CKW has had - or has, I can't remember - 3 or 4 players with the same condition.

Hunh.

You beat me to it.....

 

[JZursch]

The heat shouldn't be an issue. They play in a dome now, and the new stadium will have a retractable roof...so it should be closed for the really brutal days. Google tells me that Atlanta is about 300 feet higher than Bloomington...that doesn't seem like a lot, but I don't have sickle cell trait, so that doesn't mean much.

Edit, this just occurred to me. Oddly enough, the GA dome is the 3rd highest stadium in the NFL. And it is more or less the same as the 2nd highest. So it's really just Mile High he would have to worry about if around 1K feet elevation doesn't bother him.

http://www.answers.com/Q/All_NFL_stadiums_in_order_of_elevation

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

Yes - keep in mind that sickle cell trait is different than the disease sickle cell anemia.
SCT individuals have a mixture of normal shaped cells and some that can manifest into sickle shapes under certain conditions. They inherit one sickle cell gene from a parent instead of two. SCT athletes have normal hemoglobin levels that can become altered under oxygen deprivation. In rare cases, death can occur as deprivation of oxygen in the hemoglobin can cause the blood cells to clog supply of oxygen to organs and lead to muscle breakdown.
Situations that increase these odds are extreme physical exertion, high altitudes and anything that may reduce supply of oxygen to the blood cells.
Athletes recover quickly to normal levels when given a supply of oxygen, which explains TC's use of oxygen tents on the sideline.
Most of the time, the SCT athlete is not symptomatic of organ failure or exhibiting signs of sickle cell crisis and can be prevented with good hydration and oxygen to prevent it.

 

[turney333]

That was because of an adverse reaction his body had to playing at altitude . . . because of a condition called "sickle cell trait". Clark had to had his spleen removed because of that reaction.

Well, Tevin Coleman apparently has the same condition and won't play games in Denver: http://espn.go.com/blog/atlanta-fal...-tevin-coleman-runs-through-sickle-cell-trait

Sorry if y'all already have heard this . . . it was news to me. It explains Coleman's extended rests during games in hot weather, and his limited time in the Missouri game.

I wonder how Atlanta's weather (hot, and sometimes really, really humid) and elevation (between 1000 and 1200 feet) will affect his game performances, if at all.

The linked story also says that CKW has had - or has, I can't remember - 3 or 4 players with the same condition.

Hunh.

This probably contributed to him landing with an NFC team where he might only have to go to Denver once in his career.