Cincinnati Star Dontay Corleone Out Indefinitely With Non-Football Illness

The Bearcats announced the news on Friday.

Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Dontay Corleone (2) is double-teamed on a pass rush in the first quarter during an NCAA college football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati football released some tough news on Friday as the program announced top player and All-American defensive tackle Dontay Corleone is out indefinitely with blood clots in his lungs.

Corleone reported shortness of breath to UC athletic trainers recently and he will cease all football activities as of right now after tests discovered the issue.

"I am incredibly grateful to my family and for Aaron Himmler, Dr. Jon Divine, our whole medical staff and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for guiding me through this over the last few weeks," Corleone said in a release. "Right now, I'm focused on my recovery. My hope is I will be able to return to football soon, but in the meantime, I will do everything I can to rehab and help the football program as a leader and mentor to our younger players. I'm looking forward to being around the guys soon. The sky is the limit for the Bearcats this season. I love my teammates, our coaches, this university, this city, and – of course – this fanbase, which has been incredibly supportive of me over the last three years."

Scott Satterfield echoed similar praise to the training staff.

"I'm extremely grateful for our medical staff, who identified this problem right away," Satterfield said in the release. We are going to support Dontay in every way we can through this. Dontay is an outstanding leader and everything you can ask for in a student-athlete. He genuinely cares about doing everything right and leading his teammates.  We know he is going to do everything he can to pour into our program while he recovers and focuses on his health. My top concern is for Dontay's health. Football isn't a priority right now. We will be here to help support Dontay through every step of this process."

The star spent one night in the hospital on June 14 and has bee recovering at home since. Corleone is Cincinnati's best overall player after an All-American season in 2022 and second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2023. Check out the full release here.

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