Mom of T-Wolves’ star Towns dies from COVID-19

Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves center KarlAnthony Towns, died April 13 due to complications from COVID-19 after more than a month of fighting the virus.

The Timberwolves made the announcement via the Towns family, which requested privacy. Karl Towns Sr., the father of the two-time All-Star player, was also hospitalized with the virus but has since recovered.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Cruz-Towns was a fixture at Timberwolves games from the start of Karl-Anthony Towns’ NBA career in 2015.

“Jackie was many things to many people — a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend,” the statement from the Towns family said. “She was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, and extremely loving person who touched everyone she met. Her passion was palpable, and her energy will never be replaced.”

The family expressed gratitude to the “warriors” at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia and JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, the hospitals where she received care.

After his parents first felt ill at their home in New Jersey, Towns and his sister urged them to seek immediate medical attention and be tested for the virus. Towns posted an emotional video on his Instagram account on March 24, revealing his mother was in a medically induced coma while imploring people to stay home to help stop the spread of the virus. The East Coast has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, with a death toll in New York state alone that has topped 10,000.

The Timberwolves expressed their condolences for the woman they considered part of their family.

“As Karl’s number one fan, Jackie provided constant and positive energy for him and was beloved by our entire organization and staff at Target Center,” the team said.

Towns made a $100,000 donation to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for COVID-19 testing. authorities said April 13. He was 36.

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro that Jackson was driving went off the road, struck a tree and overturned at 8:50 p.m. Sunday, Trooper Benjamin “Michael” Carswell, an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency spokesman, said in a news release. Jackson was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The wreck occurred on Pike Road, about seven miles south of Montgomery, his hometown. No other details were immediately released about the crash, which remained under investigation.

Jackson was hired as quarterbacks coach for Tennessee State last season after a 10-year NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll posted a Twitter message calling Jackson “a beloved teammate, competitor, and Seahawk.”

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson also posted about Jackson’s death: “TJack... you will be missed. Praying for your family... Love you man.”

The Vikings also released a statement saying that “one of Tarvaris’ greatest attributes was his positive outlook and approach. He genuinely cared about others, was a good friend and will be missed by family, teammates and Vikings fans everywhere.”

At Tennessee State, Jackson helped senior quarterback Cameron Rosendahl to a season in which he passed for 3,023 yards, the second most in program history.

“We are devastated,” Tennessee State coach Rod Reed said. “He was an awesome young man and he will be missed by our players, our staff and the TSU family.”

Jackson was a secondround draft pick of the Vikings in 2006, starting 12 games in 2007 and going 8-4. He was part of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl championship team in 2014 as Wilson’s backup.

Jackson started 14 games for Seattle in 2011, leading the team to seven wins. The former Alabama State quarterback, who started his college career at Arkansas, went 17-17 as an NFL starter.

He passed for 7,263 yards with 39 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.

Jackson is survived by wife Lakitta and three children.

PANTHERS MAKE MCCAFFREY HIGHEST-PAID RB » The Carolina Panthers have rewarded Christian McCaffrey for his production and versatility, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

The team agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension with McCaffrey on April 13, a person familiar with the contract negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Panthers have not announced the extension. Details on how much of the contract is fully guaranteed were unavailable.

The $16-million-a-year deal eclipses Ezekiel Elliott’s contract with the Dallas Cowboys that is worth $15 million per season.

The extension keeps McCaffrey, 23, tied to the Panthers through the 2025 season. The coming season would be the final year of his rookie contract, and Carolina had the option to pick up a fifth year in 2021.

It appeared to a matter of when, not if, the extension was coming after Panthers coach Matt Rhule made it clear last week that he viewed McCaffrey as a vital part of the franchise moving forward.

“I think Christian McCaffrey is a centerpiece player that you can build around,” Rhule said. “And I think he really builds to the culture that you want to have within the building.”

McCaffrey ran for 1,387 yards and posted 1,005 yards receiving last season for the Panthers, joining Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig as the only running backs in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards in both categories in the same season.

The former first-round draft pick has been a spectacular selection for the Panthers, amassing 2,920 yards rushing and 2,523 yards receiving along with 39 touchdowns in three seasons. He is the only player in NFL history with at least 2,500 yards receiving and rushing in his first three seasons.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney hinted last week that a contract extension was coming, saying the team was having “internal discussions.” Hurney said then that “everyone knows what we think of Christian as a player.”