The Sports Xchange

The Dallas Cowboys released defensive tackle Amobi Okoye on Wednesday.

Okoye spent the 2014 season on the Cowboys’ reserve list for non-football illness, recovering from a rare, potentially fatal autoimmune syndrome called anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.

In 2007, Okoye became the youngest player (19) ever drafted in the first round when the Houston Texans selected him with the 10th pick.

He lasted four seasons with Houston, recording 11 sacks and forcing two fumbles, and was with the Chicago Bears in 2011 and 2012, tallying five sacks.

In March 2013, he suffered a seizure after a workout. He was placed in a coma to stop the seizures and ended up with a 145-day memory gap. Once out of the coma, he had to re-learn how to speak and use his muscles.

The Cowboys signed him last August and he spent the season trying to regain his strength and stamina and recapture his football skills.