On July 6, Minnesota Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson died in an auto accident. He was 24. On Monday, Ari Meirov revealed how the Vikings will honor Jackson in the upcoming season.
“The [Vikings] will cover a significant portion of the funeral expenses for Khyree Jackson, who tragically passed away in a car accident earlier this month,” Meirov wrote on X. “They will also pay out the remainder of his signing bonus to his estate and honor him with a decal on their helmets this season. His No. 31 will not be worn by any player this season.”
The Vikings selected Jackson with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Jackson was battling for a starting spot in the organization’s secondary before his untimely death.
The accident also claimed the lives of his high school teammates AJ Lytton, who played at Penn State and Florida State in college, and Isaiah Hazel, who played for Maryland and Charlotte. The trio won state championships at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School (MD) in 2016.
Troopers from the Forestville Barrack responded to the crash in the early hours of July 6 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Hazel and Jackson were pronounced deceased on the scene while Lytton was transported to the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead by the attending medical professionals.
“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,” a report from the Maryland State Police reads.
“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.”
More on Khyree Jackson’s remarkable career
Before transferring to Oregon for his final collegiate season, Jackson played two seasons at Alabama, where he played just under 200 snaps. During that time, he recorded 14 tackles and two pass breakups. He also played a career-high 59 snaps in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia.
In his lone season at Oregon, Jackson tallied 34 tackles (25 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, seven passes defended and 2.0 sacks. His interception total not only led the Ducks’ defense but ranked fourth in the Pac-12. For his efforts, Jackson earned First-Team All-Pac-12 honors.
