Coaches and teammates mourn the tragic death of Vikings’ Khyree Jackson

The football community was rocked by terrible news on Saturday morning: Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson was killed in a tragic car accident in his home state of Maryland.

Jackson, 24, and two of his high school teammates, Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton Jr., 24, of Dr. Henry A. Wise High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland, were killed when they were struck in a three-vehicle crash Saturday morning caused by a suspected drunken driver, according to Maryland authorities. The crash remains under investigation.

Wise High School was among the first to express its condolences Saturday morning.

“The Dr. Henry A. Wise Athletic Department sends condolences to the families and mourns the loss of Khyree Jackson, Anthony Lytton Jr. and Isaiah Hazel,” the Wise High School athletic department posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said in a statement that he was “devastated” by Jackson’s tragic death. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the loss “broke my heart.” Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said Jackson was “committed to being a great human being.”

“We are devastated by the news of Khyree Jackson’s death following an overnight car accident,” the Vikings posted on X. “Our thoughts are with Khyree’s family, friends, teammates and coaches, as well as all the victims of this tragic accident.”

In another post on X, the NFL said it was “deeply saddened and devastated” by Jackson’s death.

Fellow rookie JJ McCarthy said on Instagram that Jackson was a “phenomenal athlete,” but more importantly, a “great man.” Dwight McGlothern, another rookie cornerback, said Jackson’s death “hurt his soul” and asked him to pray for his loved ones.

The Alabama and Oregon football teams, where Jackson played the last two seasons, each released condolences to Jackson’s family, friends and teammates. Oregon coach Dan Lanning said on social media that Jackson was a “great player, but an even better person.”

The Vikings drafted Jackson in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft out of Oregon with the No. 108 pick. Jackson had an incredible comeback after not playing in 2017-18, instead working at a grocery store and not thinking about football.

Jackson later played one season at Fort Scott Community College in 2019 before getting a chance at Division I and transferring to Alabama, where he played from 2021 to 2022. Jackson then transferred to Oregon and put together a stellar senior season that made his NFL dream come true.