PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on Tuesday said he will not allow safety Ryan Clark to play in Sunday's AFC wild-card game in Denver against the Broncos out of fear for Clark's health.

Clark has sickle cell trait, a condition that can be problematic in the high altitude of Denver. In a 2007 game there, Clark became violently ill and lost his spleen and gallbladder in addition to losing 30 pounds because of deprivation of oxygen to his major organs.

Clark told ESPN's Josina Anderson that he wanted to play in the game and was planning to do so until Tomlin told him he couldn't.

"I mean, everybody knows I want to play and I would have played," he told ESPN. "I talked to my doctors and we actually had a plan in place for me to play. All things pointed to me going until (Tomlin) told me I can't. He said he wouldn't have let his son play and so I'm not playing either."

Tomlin also didn't let Clark play in a 2009 regular-season game at Denver and didn't clear him for a preseason game there last year.

Clark said it wasn't a "shock" that he won't play, but he thought it might be different this time, considering it's the playoffs.

"It would have been an amazing triumph to come back and play there, to have things come full circle and to be all right. So to not be on the field is disheartening, but God has his plan," he told ESPN.

The 32-year-old safety led the Steelers with 100 tackles. Clark will be replaced with Ryan Mundy, who has two career starts.

Tomlin and Clark met Monday to discuss the situation, with Tomlin telling the team's leading tackler he can travel but not suit up.

"Looking at data and all the variables he is at more risk, so we're not going to play him," Tomlin said. "It's just that simple."

Clark thanked Steelers fans for their concern in a Twitter post he made Tuesday afternoon.