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<p>SAN FRANCISCO &#8212; Dwight Clark revealed Sunday that he has Lou Gehrig&#8217;s disease and suspects playing football might have caused the illness.</p><p>Clark announced on Twitter that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that attacks cells that control muscles. The former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver linked to a post on his personal blog detailing his ALS diagnosis, but the site crashed Sunday night, apparently from an overflow of traffic.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been asked if playing football caused this,&#8221; Clark said in the post. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know for sure. But I certainly suspect it did.&#8221;</p><p>The 60-year-old Clark wrote that he began experiencing symptoms in September 2015. He&#8217;s lost significant strength in his left hand and also has weakness in his right hand, midsection, lower back and right leg.</p><p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t run, play golf or walk any distances,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Picking up anything over 30 pounds is a chore. The one piece of good news is that the disease seems to be progressing more slowly than in some patients.&#8221;</p><p>Clark won two Super Bowls with the 49ers during a nine-year career that ended in 1987. He memorably pulled down the winning touchdown pass from Joe Montana in the 1981 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys, a play remembered simply as &#8220;The Catch.&#8221;</p><p>Clark, whose No. 87 has been retired by the 49ers, also encouraged the NFL and the players&#8217; association to work together in making football safer.</p><p>San Francisco CEO Jed York said in a statement he was &#8220;deeply saddened&#8221; by Clark&#8217;s diagnosis.</p><p>&#8220;Many know Dwight as an iconic figure in 49ers lore, whose accomplishments on the field brought joy to fans around the world,&#8221; York said. &#8220;Our organization is fortunate to know him more intimately as a wonderful man who has given so much of himself as an ambassador to the entire Bay Area. We will stand alongside Dwight and his family as they wage this battle.&#8221;</p><p>After his playing career ended, Clark served as general manager of the 49ers and Cleveland Browns.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark announced Sunday on Twitter that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that attacks cells that control muscles. Clark linked to a post on his personal blog detailing his ALS diagnosis, but the site crashed Sunday night, apparently from an overflow of traffic. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_115625730-e4ba380c8ae14d41b7e94e3df68edcd6.jpg</photo0><caption0>Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark announced Sunday on Twitter that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that attacks cells that control muscles. Clark linked to a post on his personal blog detailing his ALS diagnosis, but the site crashed Sunday night, apparently from an overflow of traffic. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Avelar | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Dwight Clark says he has ALS, suspects football a cause