The football world was rocked over the weekend after hearing the tragic news that Minnesota Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson was killed in a car accident.
The fatal accident occurred in Maryland. The promising Jackson was just 24 years old.
Selected by the Vikings in the fourth-round of this past April’s draft, the former standout at Alabama and Oregon had already made a positive impression on his new team and was expected to contribute right off the bat this season.
Jackson was a front-seat passenger in the vehicle, along with 23-year-old driver Isaiah Hazel and 24-year-old back-seat passenger Anthony Lytton, Jr.
The Maryland State Police reported that the accident, which is still under investigation, occurred when the Dodge Charger carrying the three men was struck by an Infiniti attempting a high-speed lane change.
The collision was severe, and images from the scene reveal the extensive damage to the Charger.
Jackson was expected to be a strong contender for a starting spot with the Vikings.
The organization expressed their sorrow in a statement, saying, “We are devastated by the news of Khyree Jackson’s death following an overnight car accident. Our thoughts are with Khyree’s family, friends, teammates, and coaches, as well as all the victims of this tragic accident.”
Jackson’s former college coach at Oregon, Dan Lanning, shared his grief on social media, saying, “RIP Khyree… Love you @Real_Khyree at a loss for words. I will miss your smile. Great player, better person.”
Jackson, an all-Pac-12 first-team selection in 2023, had also played two seasons at Alabama under Coach Nick Saban.
The University of Alabama expressed their condolences, stating, “Alabama mourns the loss of former student-athlete Khyree Jackson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell remembered Jackson as a vibrant and determined young man.
“I am absolutely crushed by this news,” O’Connell said in a statement. “Khyree brought a contagious energy to our facility and our team. His confidence and engaging personality immediately drew his teammates to him.
“In our short time together, it was evident Khyree was going to develop into a tremendous professional football player, but what was more impressive was his desire to become the best person he could be for his family and those around him.
“I am at a loss for words. My heart goes out to Khyree’s family, friends, teammates and coaches.”
The man responsible for drafting Jackson, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, was also crushed by the news.
“I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree. As we got to know him throughout the pre-draft process, it was clear the goals Khyree wanted to accomplish both professionally and personally,” he said.
“His story was one of resilience. He was taking steps to become the best version of himself not just for him, but for those who cared about and looked up to him.”
The loss of Jackson, Hazel, and Lytton has deeply affected Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where all three men attended and played on the 2016 state championship-winning football team.
Assistant coach Steve Rapp shared his heartache, saying, “I love them, and I wish I could say it to them one more time. The legacy of those guys is going to live on forever.”
Each of the men had pursued college football careers, with Lytton set to play for Bowie State this season.
Jackson’s journey to the NFL was especially remarkable.
After graduating from Wise High School in 2017, he faced significant challenges, including a period of working at a grocery store and considering a career in the NBA 2K league before ultimately finding his way to Alabama and later Oregon.
“When I ended up leaving my first junior college, I was home for about six months, but I told my friends that I was still in school,” Jackson previously said.
“I stayed at my house for six straight months, and nobody knew. It was kind of eating away at me, and then I finally just eventually told my friends.
“That moment really told me, like, man, if I was embarrassed to even tell them, I might want to get out and try to do it again instead of sitting here and sulking.”
“I wouldn’t change it for the world, though,” Jackson said of his challenging path.
“I feel like it taught me a lot of perseverance. It helped turn me into the man that I am today. I feel like I don’t take no shortcuts. I take everything for what it is and don’t really question too many things.
“I feel like that mentality came from juco and being at the bottom and seeing what it’s like to not have anything to having everything going to some of the top programs.”
There are still many unknowns, and the investigation is still ongoing. However, the tragic accident has shook the football world at every level.
“RicoKnows” – a popular internet sports personality – caused a stir on social media following the fatal accident.
Instead of expressing sympathy, Rico alleged that Jackson had significant character issues and was a victim of his own poor decision-making.
“When I talked to former teammates who played with Khyree Jackson, they all had the same kind of message, which is he is an immensely talented person, terrible person, character-wise, but he is immensely challenged on the football field. For me, I’m not going to support somebody like that,” Rico said in a social media post.
“I don’t know the details of his car accident, so I’m not going to sit here and say that I was right in any regard. I’m just going to say that decision-making is essential. Not going out at night is essential, not driving in dangerous times, all that stuff is decision-making. You are the end result of your own decision-making,” he continued.
“I saw the post on Twitter where everyone is saying, ‘all I heard was good things about this man, he made it from working in a deli, he had no interest coming out of high school’…the reason he had to be at a deli and the reason nobody had interest in him is because he was kicked out of four different universities for substandard conduct…but for the last eight months he managed to do the right things, hoped for the best, but it didn’t work out.
“If you live fast and make poor decisions, you’re going to die fast, and you are the end result of your own decisions,” he concluded.
Needless to say, many people were outraged by Rico’s controversial post…
No matter how you look at it, what happened to Jackson and his friends over the weekend was an absolute tragedy.
R.I.P. to the victims and their families.