IRVING, Texas -- Amobi Okoye’s comeback from a brain condition that left him in a coma for three months in the summer of 2013 will have to come with another team.
The Dallas Cowboys released the veteran defensive tackle on Wednesday after he joined the team last May.
In March 2013, Okoye was diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a potentially lethal brain injury that includes seizures and memory issues. After sitting out of football in 2013, Okoye, a former first-round pick of the Houston Texans, signed a two-year deal with the Cowboys knowing the chances of playing again were going to be difficult.
Okoye was cleared for football last August, but the Cowboys kept him on the non-football injury list for the entire season. Late in the year, he had ankle surgery. He was scheduled to make $745,000 in 2015.
Okoye’s agent, Ian Greengross, said his client will continue his comeback and is fully cleared to play. Okoye last played in a game on Dec. 30, 2012 for the Chicago Bears.
