Cincinnati defensive tackle cleared to play after blood clot scare

It was a great day on campus for the Cincinnati Bearcats. The big 6’1, 320 lbs defensive tackle Dontay Corleone was cleared to resume all football activities, following treatments for blood clots in his lungs.

The treatments started in June, which significantly limited Corleone in training camp. He did not play in the win over Towson, and is not likely to play against Pittsburgh this weekend, but is on his way back.

When asked about his feelings in regards to returning to the field, Corleone had this to say to reporters:

I’m excited to be back on the field with my brothers. I also want to thank all of our fans for their love and support throughout this process. For the last few months, I have worked extremely hard to make a return.

Head coach Scott Satterfield is excited to have him back as well. Corleone was a second-team All-Big 12 selection last season with 39 tackles. In 2022 he had 45 tackles, along with three sacks. Satterfield said this about the return:

Dontay has really worked hard to get to this point, and we are excited to have him back. Despite being limited, he has stepped up as a team leader and maintained a steadying influence on the team. We are grateful to our medical staff for implementing a plan that will allow Dontay to play. We will continue to closely monitor him. We are thrilled he is healthy and ready to come back.

The Bearcats will host Pittsburgh this weekend, and then head to Miami OH next weekend. Cincinnati will host Houston on September 21st in their first Big 12 game of the season.