Former Michigan star Frank Clark excused from mini-camp for birth of child

Former Michigan star Frank Clark has a pretty great excuse for missing the Kansas City Chiefs’ mini camp this week. NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed on Wednesday that Clark is expecting the birth of his second child. The defensive end already has one daughter named Pheonix.

Clark joined the Chiefs in 2019 and was a key defensive player in the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. He finished 2020 with 29 tackles and six sacks on his way to a second-consecutive Pro Bowl season.

This offseason, Kansas City sought to restructure the 261-pound edge rusher’s deal. He ended up signing a 2-year, $30,175,000 contract with the Chiefs.

After the former Wolverine missed the first two days of the mandatory mini-camp, reporters began asking questions. Clark has multiple arrests on his record for various infractions, but fellow Chiefs defender Chris Jones jumped to clear up any concerns on Wednesday.

“We actually spoke yesterday,” Jones said. “Belated happy birthday to my boy Frank (Clark). Me and Frank have been in contact throughout the offseason. I understand (the concerns). He’s doing what he has to do to make sure he’s good for this season and we support him.”

In 2021, Clark played in 14 games, accumulating 22 tackles with 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He was the No. 63 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and landed with the Seattle Seahawks. The most productive year of his career came in 2018 before he joined the Chiefs. He had 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, two recoveries and an interception.

At this time last year, police arrested Clark in Los Angeles after they discovered an uzi during a traffic stop. They charged him with felony firearm possession. That incident came three months after a separate possession of an assault weapon charge.