One of the biggest surprises for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday was the deactivation of Ty Montgomery off the gameday roster. Montgomery was expected to play a significant role against the Atlanta Falcons, particularly out of the backfield, and his absence forced the Packers’ coaching staff to shuffle their offensive playmakers a bit. The only news that came out regarding Montgomery’s absence was that he was listed under “illness” on the injury report, and the issue was later reported to be “kidney-related.”
On Monday, Montgomery revealed to the media that his absence was due to finding out that he has the sickle-cell trait, a genetic blood condition that can affect athletes’ performance if not properly identified or treated.