Horrible rumor going around today re: Khyree Jackson

[Montana Tom]

it's been confirmed on NBC Sports, Sports Illustrated, TMZ, Daily Mail and other media. Damn, what a tragic loss for a promising young man.

[Vikergirl]

That's so damn sad. 24 is way too young.

[1VikesFan]

So so sad. Thoughts are with the families of all three of these young men...gone too soon.

[purplefaithful]

Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson killed in car accident at 24

Khyree Jackson, a fourth-round draft pick from Oregon, died in a car accident in his native Maryland with two high school teammates.

By Ben Goessling Star TribuneJuly 6, 2024 — 12:00pm

Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson, the 108th overall pick in this year's NFL draft, died in a three-car accident that also killed two of his high school teammates in Upper Marlboro, Md., early Saturday morning. He was 24.

A Maryland State Police statement said Jackson and 23-year-old Isaiah Hazel were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday in Upper Marlboro. Anthony (A.J.) Lytton Jr., 24, was transported to the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead by hospital personnel.

After an early investigation, police believe Hazel, Jackson and Lytton died after their Dodge Charger was struck by the driver of an InfinitI Q50 who was trying to change lanes and pass them at a high rate of speed on Md. Route 4 in Upper Marlboro. The collision sent the Charger off the road, where it hit multiple tree stumps before stopping. The Infiniti Q50 then hit a Chevrolet Impala. Neither the driver of the Impala nor the driver and two passengers in the Q50 were injured.

Investigators believe alcohol might have contributed to the crash. Police said charges are pending.

"We are devastated by the news of Khyree Jackson's death following an overnight car accident," the Vikings said in a statement. "While we work to gather more information, we have spoken to Khyree's family and offered the support of the Minnesota Vikings. We have also communicated the news to Vikings players, coaches and staff and have offered counseling for those who need emotional support. Our thoughts are with Khyree's family, friends, teammates and coaches, as well as all the victims of this tragic accident."

Jackson arrived in Minnesota after an improbable journey to the NFL; he quit football, working at a Harris Teeter grocery store and Chipotle restaurant before returning to the sport and eventually becoming a starter at Alabama and Oregon.
His size and tenacity drew the attention of a Vikings team that needed both; General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in a statement Saturday that Jackson's personality "captured every room he was in."

"As we got to know him throughout the pre-draft process, it was clear the goals Khyree wanted to accomplish both professionally and personally," Adofo-Mensah 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. I'm devastated that his life and everything he had in front of him has been cut short."

Coach Kevin O'Connell said in a statement he was "absolutely crushed," adding Jackson "brought a contagious energy to our facility and our team.

"In our short time together, it was evident Khyree was going to develop into a tremendous professional football player," O'Connell said in the statement. "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."

Long path to Vikings
The 6-foot-4 Jackson's competitive desire fueled a circuitous route through the football mud that is junior college, attending multiple schools, including the East Mississippi Community College known from Netflix's "Last Chance U."
His internal fire also led to hurt and disappointment when he lost his starting job at Alabama. Jackson was benched after one start in 2022. But he felt he had earned a chance to redeem himself after a bad game. Admittedly, his effort faded. He was suspended by Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban for the last four games. No reason was given publicly.

"A lot of things is just about being mature," Jackson told the Star Tribune in May. "Making sure I'm where I need to be at all times, just being reliable and dependable. I feel like that was some of the biggest things I needed to tighten up coming from Alabama.

"I think if I would've had that mentality a little earlier in my career," he added, "I probably would've been in this position a lot earlier."

Jackson's college path took him to junior colleges in Arizona, Kansas and Mississippi, a two-year stop at Alabama and finally a breakout 2023 season at Oregon. The fifth-oldest rookie out of 257 selected in this year's NFL draft, he was named first-team All-Pac-12 while defending against top quarterback prospects in USC's Caleb Williams and Washington's Michael Penix Jr.

He jawed at opponents the entire way — part of Jackson's brash on-field persona.

"One of the things that makes him great to me is he knows, or I should say he believes, he's better than sometimes he is," former Oregon cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin said recently. "But that's what makes him go, and I love it."

Growth spurt
Jackson, the son of Raymond and Ebbony Jackson, grew up in Maryland's Prince George's County outside of Washington D.C., transferring to Wise High School, a football powerhouse, as a sophomore.

He stood 5-foot-6 as a freshman but grew into a 6-3 receiver as a Wise senior, catching 39 passes for 612 yards and 12 touchdowns for a team that went 14-0 and won a state title.

But Division I teams couldn't sign him. He was ruled academically ineligible. His SAT score met the D-I threshold, said his father, Raymond Jackson, but his grades did not.

Khyree Jackson declined D-II offers. He saw junior college as the best springboard to a Power Five conference and eventually the NFL.

"He didn't focus on a backup plan," Ebbony Jackson said recently. "He probably never questioned at all whether it would happen."

The first stop didn't last long. He left Arizona Western, a junior college in Yuma, Ariz., before playing his first game. He lived at home for nearly two years, working part-time jobs at Six Flags, Chipotle and the Harris Teeter supermarket. After six months behind the deli counter, he earned employee of the month.

"It came with a plaque, but I don't have it," Jackson said. "I didn't even tell my mom I won it until maybe a month after. I didn't want to work there forever. It was one of those things where I knew it was cool that I got it, but I had things in the back of my mind."

Switching positions
Jackson was emailing junior college coaches asking about opportunities and landed at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. There, he asked coach Kale Pick to switch from receiver to cornerback.

"Told him I wanted to play corner," Jackson said. "I just kind of let him know ... I have to produce to get out of here. Our QB situation is not the best, I feel at corner at least I can kind of control my own destiny at least."

Jackson intercepted three passes in eight games, ascending as the nation's top junior college recruit at cornerback. He enrolled at East Mississippi Community College, but the school opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scouts still watched his film and practices. He got 33 Division I offers, including from perennial power Alabama.

Under Saban, Jackson said he learned about tough practices. He trained and ate as well as ever. He eventually made his first start in Alabama's national title loss to Georgia at the end of the 2021 season.

By the following year, Jackson was in a competition with fellow future NFL corners Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold. He earned a starting job by Week 2, when Texas quarterbacks threw for 292 yards in a narrow victory. He was benched.
"I had kind of shot myself in the foot by not making the most of my opportunity," Jackson said.

Jackson wanted to play, so he transferred. Options were limited because his mother insisted he go somewhere where all his credits transferred. Oregon became an easy choice as Jackson got to know the coaching staff, and the roster needed a starter.

He was an immediate difference maker in a pass-heavy conference. He had 10 deflections, three picks and a blocked field goal in 12 games.

Vikings evaluators liked his game, but they wanted to get to know Jackson as a person. The team scheduled three meetings with Jackson this spring: at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., the NFL combine in Indianapolis, and a private visit at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. Jackson left the Senior Bowl telling family he liked Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, who attended a Maryland high school 10 miles away from Jackson's Wise.

Jackson also liked how when he met with Adofo-Mensah, he wasn't asked formulaically about his past that was detailed in the file sitting on the desk. Adofo-Mensah told him he'd leave the file closed to instead "see how you are" as a person.
Jackson didn't hold back. He told Vikings evaluators he'd come "at a discount" because of his journey.

"I watched a lot of the names that got called before me recently in this draft," Jackson said. "If you just watch the last season, maybe it shouldn't have went like that. … It really don't bother me much, because I know I'm going to get the final laugh at the end when we make some plays and win the Super Bowl."

---

https://twitter.com/NickiJhabvala/status...8824167440

[The ghost formerly known as PG]

Heartbreaking… the pain his family must be feeling makes me absolutely sick…

Score another one for drunk drivers, just unbelievable. When are people gonna get it? Selfish drunk asshole drives= innocent people die.

Rest in peace, Khyree #31

[JR44]

Drunk driver who was driving way over speed limit and trying to change lanes, she had been previously arrested for doing 100 in a 55, amazing how all 3 people in the other car walk away from the crash. Just brutal with Uber so easily available to drive drunk or even slightly under the influence.

[ArizonaViking]

Vikings Rookie Khyree Jackson Dies in Car Accident — Alcohol a Possible Factor
Story by Eric Strack • 6h • 4 min read

Khyree Jackson, Minnesota Vikings
Khyree Jackson, Minnesota Vikings
© Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
We come to you this morning with some very unfortunate news. Early Saturday, rumors started to surface that Minnesota Vikings 4th round draft pick, cornerback Khyree Jackson had passed away via automobile accident in his hometown of Marlboro, MD.

Minnesota Vikings CB Khyree Jackson dies in car accident
As the minutes ticked by, those rumors were methodically confirmed by reporters with ties to the University of Oregon, where Jackson played football and went to school last year.

At 10:21 a.m. CDT, Ducks head football coach Dan Lanning confirmed the reports via Twitter (X). At 10:54 a.m, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell released a statement via the team’s official social media accounts confirming the horrible news.



I am absolutely crushed by this news. 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.

Kevin O’Connell – via typed statement on Vikings’ social medias
According to TMZ, Jackson’s mother Ebbony Jackson received a call regarding her son’s death at 3 a.m. CDT Saturday morning; THE late night / early morning phone call that no parent ever wants to receive.
Three cars involved in accident that kills Khyree Jackson, two others; Alcohol likely played role
At about 11:15 a.m. CDT, more updates started to come through reporters and police reports, including details of the crash that killed Jackson. According to a Maryland State Police report that was filed after, there were three cars involved in the accident.

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The preliminary report states that the MD State Police were called to the scene of the accident at 3:14 a.m. ET. It states that Jackson was the front seat passenger in a Dodge Charger with two others in it.

That’s when the driver of an Infinity Q50 tried a passing maneuver, which ended up in a three-car crash between her vehicle, the Charger that Jackson was riding in, and a Chevy Impala. The report does not indicate who the driver of the Infinity was trying to pass, only that she caused the initial contact and that she was “driving at a high rate of speed”.

Jackson’s Charger veered off the road and hit three consecutive tree stumps. All three of the occupants in the Charger died. The two in the front seats died at the scene (including Jackson). The rear-seat passenger died after being airlifted to a nearby hospital. Nobody in the other two vehicles were injured. Charges are pending, as the report concludes that “alcohol may have been a contributing circumstance in the crash”.

Excerpt from Maryland State Police Report:
Shortly after 3:14 a.m. this morning, troopers from the Forestville Barrack responded to a crash on northbound Route 4/Pennsylvania Avenue and Presidential Parkway north of Dower House Road in Upper Marlboro. The three vehicles involved in the crash were a silver Infinity Q50, a silver Chevrolet Impala and a maroon Dodge Charger.

The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the silver Infiniti, later identified as Cori Clingman, was traveling northbound on Route 4/Pennsylvania Avenue in Prince George’s County. Investigators believe Clingman attempted to change lanes while driving at a high rate of speed when she struck the Dodge Charger and then struck the Chevrolet Impala. The Charger subsequently traveled off of the right side of the roadway and struck multiple tree stumps where the vehicle came to rest.

Investigators believe alcohol may have been a contributing circumstance in the crash.

Maryland State Police Report
Khyree Jackson, born August 11, 1999, was 24 years old. He started his football path at a small community college, worked his way to Alabama, then became a star and NFL Draft pick at Oregon. A MN Vikings CB that many thought had a chance to earn real playing time during training camp. Instead, his path ends way too soon.

Related video: Minnesota Vikings Player Khyree Jackson Dies in Car Crash at 24 (E! News)
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Keep Khyree’s family, friends and soul in your thoughts and prayers this weekend. Life is precious. Soak it in.

**We will update this post as more information comes available.

The post Vikings Rookie Khyree Jackson Dies in Car Accident — Alcohol a Possible Factor appeared first on MinnesotaSportsFan.

[Vanguard83]

Incredibly tragic & heartbreaking - Way too young. I haven't the words

[purplefaithful]

Incredibly tragic & heartbreaking - Way too young. I haven't the words

I have the words....

Lock her up and throw the book at her if she was driving recklessly and or drunk.

[Norse]

Sad news…Way too young with a promising future.
Prayers for the family.