www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com

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Antonio Brown was sent home from Steelers practice Friday , but it wasn’t because of the calf injury he’s been nursing for the past four weeks.

Brown was a full practice participant all week, but coach Mike Tomlin said Brown fell ill Friday. So Tomlin kept him away from the team two days prior to the Steelers’ divisional round playoff game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On their official injury report released late Friday afternoon, the Steelers listed Brown as questionable to play Sunday.

”I didn’t want him to get any of the guys who weren’t sick, sick,” Tomlin said. ”We’ll bring him back in the building (Saturday) and continue with his game readiness. We don’t have a lot of reservations about him from a physical health standpoint. We do need to get him well from an illness standpoint.”

Brown hasn’t played since he left a Dec. 17 game against the New England Patriots in the second quarter because of a contusion in his lower left leg. He returned to practice Monday and remains in line to appear in his 10th playoff game Sunday at Heinz Field.

Questions swirled surrounding the status of three other Steelers starters, but each of those defensive players on Friday insisted he will play against the Jaguars. Cornerback Artie Burns returned after sustaining a non-contact right knee injury Wednesday, defensive end Stephon Tuitt returned after an elbow injury limited him Wednesday and prevented him from practicing Thursday, and defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (back) came back after taking Thursday off.

Also, Tomlin said backup offensive lineman B.J. Finney (thigh injury sustained in the regular-season finale) was a full participant in practice for the second straight day.

Tomlin said he expects all his injured players to be available Sunday. The Steelers listed none on the ”play status” portion of their injury report , and each of them, separately, expressed they would play.

”I’m feeling good; I did all of my reps today in practice,” Burns said. ”I should be 100 percent (Sunday). I felt good out there. All of my movements were good. I feel like I was able to run with good speed. I just have to keep doing therapy and I’ll be good.”

Burns, like Tuitt, emerged from practice with a sizable wrap on the affected body part. But when asked if he was playing Sunday, Tuitt’s answer was, ”No doubt.”

”It went great today,” Tuitt also said. ”I moved my arm really well , pushed offensive line back. It felt great.”

Hargrave downplayed the significance of suddenly missing a practice three days before a playoff game.

”I just didn’t practice (Thursday), that’s all,” he said.

”I’m good. Ain’t nothing serious, I’m pretty sure,” Hargrave said. ”It really wasn’t too big; I just needed some rest, really. I practiced (Friday) and it was pretty good.”

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Utah defensive lineman Lowell Lotulelei says Michigan defensive lineman Maurice Hurst Jr. told him Saturday that he had been diagnosed with the same heart condition as Lotulelei’s older brother, Star.

The comments came shortly after ESPN.com first reported Hurst will not be allowed to participate in drills.

League spokesman Michael Signora confirmed that players can be held out based on certain diagnoses but that he believed Hurst was still in town.

Jeff Foster, president of National Football Scouting, declined to confirm details of what happened because of privacy concerns. But he did tell The Associated Press that six to eight players have been withheld from drills this year for reasons players were not aware of before their arrival.

Foster said that number has stayed relatively consistent over the past 13 years.

Hurst had been rising steadily on mock draft boards.

The 6-foot-2 , 280-pound defensive tackle had 59 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks last season. He also had 13 tackles for loss and has been considered one component of a deep class of defensive tackles in this year’s draft.

Hurst’s father played seven seasons with the New England Patriots as a cornerback.

Word leaked just after defensive linemen and linebackers started talking to reporters at the NFL’s annual scouting combine in Indianapolis.

”I just found out in the NFLPA meeting that we just had. He just said, `Star was your brother?’ And I said yeah. He’s like, `Man, I just got the same thing that he did,”’ Lowell Lotulelei told reporters. ”Obviously I didn’t go through it, so I don’t really know what he’s feeling like. But I kind of understand the disappointment just because my brother trained just like he trained and you’re expecting one thing and getting another. I feel for him. It sucks. But I think he’ll be fine just like my brother was.”

Five years ago, Star Lotulelei arrived at the combine as the expected first pick in that year’s draft.

Things changed dramatically after doctors identified an ”abnormal” test on his heart.

Lotulelei then sought additional opinions, eventually was cleared to exercise and was taken by Carolina with the 14th overall selection in the 2013 draft. He has missed only four games in five NFL seasons.

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