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| FILE - Oregon defensive back Khyree Jackson poses for a portrait at the NFL football Combine on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Indianapolis. Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson was tragically killed in a car crash in Maryland on the morning of July 6, 2024, according to police and the team. |
Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson was tragically killed Saturday morning in a car crash in Maryland, according to police and the team.
Jackson, 24, was one of three people who died in an overnight three-car crash in Prince George’s County, as reported by the Maryland State Police.
The Vikings issued a statement expressing their sorrow, revealing that they had spoken with Jackson's family and were “devastated by the news.”
“I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in the statement. “As we got to know him throughout the pre-draft process, it was clear the goals Khyree wanted to accomplish both professionally and personally. 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.”
Jackson was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Vikings. He spent two years at Alabama before concluding his college career with a season at Oregon, where he started at cornerback.
Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning paid tribute to Jackson on social media: “I will miss your smile. Great player, even better person,” he wrote on X.
RIP Khyree… Love you @Real_Khyree at a loss for words. I will miss your smile. Great player better person.
— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) July 6, 2024
Jackson was in contention for a starting cornerback position at the Vikings' training camp, which begins later this month in Eagan, Minnesota.
“I am at a loss for words. My heart goes out to Khyree’s family, friends, teammates, and coaches,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said in the statement.
Police reported that Jackson died at the scene. The other victims were Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton Jr., 24.
Hazel played college football at Maryland and Charlotte, while Lytton played at Florida State and Penn State.
The three men, who won state championships together at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Maryland, were in the same vehicle at the time of the crash. Hazel was driving, with Jackson and Lytton as passengers, according to the police.
Investigators believe that the driver of a second vehicle traveling north attempted to change lanes "at a high rate of speed," striking the car driven by Hazel and a third vehicle.
No one in the second or third vehicles was injured.
Investigators suspect that alcohol might have been a contributing factor in the crash, with charges pending "the investigation and consultation with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office."