KALAMAZOO, MI - Less than a week before Western Michigan's football season opener against No. 4 USC, the coaching staff is still waiting to hear from the NCAA on the immediate eligibility of Syracuse transfer Steven Clark.
The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle was medically disqualified from the Syracuse football program in June, after team doctors learned Clark has a gene mutation that can increase a person's chance of developing abnormal blood clots.
Clark sought second and third opinions from a vascular surgeon and a hematologist, who both agreed the genetic disorder should not require blood-thinning medication or prevent the Alabama native from playing football.