Newsmakers

Died Former Miami Dolphins and 49ers wide receiver Freddie Solomon, who became known as “Fabulous Freddie” and committed himself to community service, has died. He was 59. Solomon lived in Florida and had battled cancer over the past year. He spent his first three NFL seasons with Miami and his final eight in San Francisco, finishing with 371 receptions for 5,846 yards and 48 touchdowns in 371 games.

Hired The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired former North Carolina head coach Butch Davis as a “special assistant” to new head coach Greg Schiano. Davis was fired from UNC just before training camp last season amid the NCAA investigation of improper benefits and academic misconduct within the Tar Heels football program.

Charged Chicago Bears linebacker J.T. Thomas is facing a misdemeanor drug possession charge after police in Morgantown, W.Va., said they caught him driving the wrong way down a one-way street and found marijuana in his car. Thomas appeared in magistrate court and was released on his own recognizance. Thomas was a rookie for the Bears in 2011 and spent the season on injured reserve.

Retired After a third hip operation in five years, Mike Comrie, who twice scored at least 30 goals in a season, retired from the NHL. The 31-year-old center announced his retirement two weeks after his latest hip procedure, saying in a statement he was no longer able to “manage the rigors of NHL play.” Comrie played 589 regular-season games with Edmonton, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Ottawa, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh.

Soaring With the Knicks and Rangers on winning streaks and Linsanity spreading through the sports world, shares of The Madison Square Garden Co. reached an all-time high. The Knicks have won a season-best five games in a row, and the basketball team’s new point guard, Jeremy Lin, is a surprise hit of the NBA season. Lin has averaged 27 points and 8 assists over those five games and quickly became a starter. The shares are up over 10 percent since Feb. 3, the day before Lin first saw significant playing time.

Named Baylor All-American Brittney Griner is among 21 finalists for the U.S. women’s basketball team that will compete at the London Olympics. The 6-foot-8 center joins WNBA stars Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi. All three won gold in the 2008 Beijing Games. Other members of that Olympic team who are part of the 2012 pool include Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Kara Lawson, Candace Parker and Cappie Pondexter.