Nov 5, 2009 By Jim Wexell for The 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – The first time Ryan Clark played in Denver, he got real sick. The second time, he needed to have his spleen and gall bladder removed. That’s when he and doctors realized it was the altitude in Denver.

There’ll be another trip to Denver for Monday night’s game between the Steelers and Broncos, and Clark told a mob of reporters on Wednesday that he’s going. But he’s still wrestling with whether to play or not.

“I want to go back and play there,” Clark said. “And God gets that glory that I’ve kind of come full circle and I’m able to go there and play. (It’s) still a decision between my family and me.”

Clark, of course, has a rare medical disorder in which his sickle cell trait aggravates his blood when he exerts himself in thin air. Because the organs were removed after his previous game in Denver in 2007, doctors have cleared him to play. But no doctor has put a 100 percent guarantee on the opinion.

“That would make it really easy, but you haven’t gotten that,” Clark said. “So it’s just something you’ve got to pray about, man, and make the best decision you can.”

Clark, who turned 30 on Oct. 12, has a wife and three children. He said his wife, Yonka, is fine with whatever decision he makes.

“She understands that God brought us out of it and she’s been praying on it and she feels she’s at peace with it,” Clark said. “No matter what I do, she knows I’m coming back home and I’ll be coming back home fine. So that’s comforting in knowing that, because it’d be hard for me to go play if she told me, ‘I don’t want you to play.’ The decision would be done. If she would’ve said that two weeks ago, or before the season, ‘I don’t want you playing,’ we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Clark recognizes that the delay in his decision has put the team and his backups – Tyrone Carter and Ryan Mundy – in a precarious position regarding practice time, but he understands the defense so well that the backups can take most of the practice reps this week, regardless of the ultimate decision.

When asked why he’s delaying his decision, Clark said, “I can’t be forced to play, but if I decide to play and coach (Mike) Tomlin feels like there’s no need or he’s not comfortable with it, he does have the right to tell me I can’t play. So it’s not coach Tomlin’s decision. Obviously, it’s going to be mine. But he is the head coach of this football team and he will have his input.”

Clark also said his teammates support his decision either way.

“They understand,” he said. “It’s one game. We’ll figure it out.”