NFL notebook: 49ers legend Clark succumbs to ALS

Legendary San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark died Monday after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Clark was 61. Clark's wife Kelly made the announcement on her husband's twitter page. "I'm heartbroken to tell you that today I lost my best friend and husband. He passed peacefully surrounded by many of the people he loved most. I am thankful for all of Dwight's friends, teammates and 49ers fans who have sent their love during his battle with ALS," she wrote. Clark, whose touchdown reception in the 1982 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys is known as "The Catch" announced he had ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) on March 19, 2017, in a blog post. His 6,750 receiving yards rank third in franchise history behind only Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens. The 49ers retired Clark's No. 87 in 1988. --Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly announced that he has been selected as the 2018 recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPY Awards in July. Kelly, who is battling oral cancer, made the announcement at his charity golf tournament. ESPN has yet to make a formal announcement for the recipient of the award, which is named after the late Jim Valvano. The former North Carolina State men's basketball coach died of cancer less than two months after delivering a memorable speech at the 1993 ESPYs. --Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy jokingly critiqued Clay Matthews' softball technique after the linebacker sustained a broken nose during a charity game. Matthews' face was on the receiving end of a line drive from Packers offensive lineman Lucas Patrick during Saturday's Green & Gold Charity Softball Game. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Matthews announced the following day that surgery will be required. --New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur said that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. could be cleared for next week's minicamp. Shurmur said he expects Beckham to attend the mandatory minicamp, which begins next Tuesday. Beckham is recovering from a surgically repaired fractured ankle he sustained in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers and has not attended seven of New York's 10 voluntary organized team activities. Monday was the fourth straight practice Beckham missed. --New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski shed his locks on Sunday much like he does defenders, and all for a good cause. Gronkowski had his head shaved as part of One Mission's Buzz Off For Kids With Cancer event at Gillette Stadium. One Mission gives children and their families support as they tackle the difficult task of battling cancer. --The Chicago Bears signed tight end Zach Miller to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed, but multiple media outlets reported that it was for the veteran minimum. Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Miller will receive $458,000 whether he plays or not in 2018 -- and $790,000 if he is able to suit up for the Bears. Miller is unlikely to play in 2018 after sustaining a dislocated left knee in a game in October. He underwent urgent vascular surgery to repair a torn artery and had eight additional surgeries prior to January. The 33-year-old Miller was carted off the field during the third quarter of the Bears' 20-12 loss to the New Orleans Saints and taken from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to the University Medical Center New Orleans. -- New York Jets rookie tight end Chris Herndon was charged with driving while intoxicated over the weekend, the Miami Herald reported. According to the newspaper, Herndon was driving a Nissan Armada and crashed into a Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser truck owned by 76-year-old Albert Elliott at 4:45 am. Saturday at mile marker 35.4 heading west on Interstate 80 in Rockaway Township, New Jersey. The accident occurred about 15 miles north of New York's practice facility in Florham Park. The Herald also reported that Herndon demolished a railroad motorcar and the attached trailer, resulting in a bruised and gashed arm for Elliott. It is unclear if Herndon was injured and the Jets did not provide further comment -- Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker isn't interested in hearing a voice from the team's past. Parker's ire was raised after former Dolphins wideout Chris Chambers ranked him third among the team's current receivers behind Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson. "Nobody cares about his opinion," the 25-year-old Parker wrote on Twitter. -- Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb signed his four-year rookie contract. Chubb, who was selected with the 35th overall pick of the 2018 draft, is the seventh of nine selections signed by the Browns. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, the first overall pick, and cornerback Denzel Ward out of Ohio State -- the fourth overall pick -- have yet to sign. The 5-foot-11, 227-pound Chubb overcame a knee injury during his sophomore season to provide a potent punch at Georgia with first-round pick Sony Michel, who was selected by the New England Patriots. Chubb had 223 carries for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season with the Bulldogs. -- Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams returned to the field for organized team activities. Adams reportedly has been nursing a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last two weeks. The 25-year-old, who signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension in December, will be looked upon by the Packers to continue his strong play after the team released fellow wideout Jordy Nelson in the offseason. --Terrell Owens couldn't pass up an opportunity to offer his services to the team that drafted him more than two decades ago. The soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver responded to a congratulatory tweet from San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch with an offer. After Lynch applauded Owens' work with the Alzheimer's Association, the 44-year-old wideout took the opportunity to pass along the following over social media, per SFGate.com. --The Denver Broncos are being cautious with outside linebacker Shane Ray due to a lingering left wrist injury, coach Vance Joseph said. Ray did not practice in the team's organized team activities Monday and it is possible he could miss next week's three-day minicamp. "Shane's got a little wrist (injury) going on right now, so we're not sure," Joseph said. "We're taking it slow, just being smart with guys. It's the spring. Our real goal is to get him healthy for training camp, but right now we're being smart with Shane." Joseph also added Ray's injury is related to the wrist injury to the one he sustained last season. --New York Giants offensive tackle Nate Solder told NJ.com he was fine with the stringent requirements and the pressure associated with playing for the New England Patriots. Solder signed with the Giants on March 14 after spending seven seasons with New England and said the reward for all the pressure was the results. The Patriots won two Super Bowls and 102 regular-season games during Solder's tenure with the team. --Giants defensive end Avery Moss was victimized by a cyberattack on his social media accounts. According to ESPN, his twitter account was hacked and published nude photos and videos. Less than 30 minutes after those posts were published, NFL security got involved and the posts were deleted. ESPN also reported that an email account and Venmo account was also hacked. --New York Jets linebacker Avery Williamson lashed out at his former team over playing-time concerns. Although Williamson started all 16 games with the Tennessee Titans last season, the club limited him to just 60 percent of the defensive snaps. "It was a weird situation," the 26-year-old Williamson told the New York Daily News. "Honestly, I don't know. But they didn't want me to play certain downs. I was definitely offended by that all last year. Like I said, it wasn't my decision. "Now I'm here and I'm definitely going to get the opportunity. So, I'm glad to be a part of this. It gives me extra fuel to continue to improve my game and become better than I was last year." -- The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Monday their homefield will be called TIAA Bank Field. In February, the Jaguars announced the name of the stadium would be changed from EverBank Field by the preseason. Jacksonville-based EverBank Financial Corp. was acquired last year for $2.5 billion by TIAA, a financial services provider headquartered in New York. --The Giants kept it local by signing tight end Garrett Dickerson to a contract. Dickerson attended Bergen Catholic High School, which is 13 miles from MetLife Stadium. He played collegiately at Northwestern, recording 87 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns in 49 games. The 6-foot-3, 248-pound Dickerson was selected honorable mention All-Big Ten after posting career highs in receptions (37) and yards (401). He also scored four touchdowns. -- The Detroit Lions added depth to their tight end position on Monday by signing free agent Wes Saxton. Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Saxton, who joins former Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Willson and ex-Atlanta Falcons tight end Levine Toilolo.