Khyree Jackson, a promising NFL draftee, has tragically died at the age of 24.
The young athlete, who was set to make his NFL debut this fall as the Minnesota Vikings‘ rookie cornerback, perished in a “triple fatal car crash” in his home state of Maryland early on Saturday, July 6, according to a press release from the Maryland State Police.
Jackson wasn’t alone in the vehicle during the crash.
Two of his former teammates from Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School — Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton, Jr., 24 — also died in the Prince George’s County accident.
Hazel was driving the Dodge Charger with Jackson as the passenger and Lytton in the back seat.
The collision involved three vehicles: the Dodge Charger, a Chevrolet Impala, and a silver Infiniti driven by Cori Clingman.
Authorities reported, “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 the roadway’s right side and struck multiple tree stumps where the vehicle came to rest.”
Clingman and her two passengers, along with the Impala driver, escaped uninjured.
However, investigators suspect alcohol played a role in the tragic incident.
In the wake of this heartbreaking event, the athletic department of Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School expressed their condolences on Twitter.
“The Dr. Henry A. Wise Athletic Department sends condolences to the families and mourns the loss of Khyree Jackson (State Champ 2016 c/o ’17) Anthony Lytton, Jr. (AJ) (State Champ 2015,16,17 c/o ’18) and Isaiah Hazel (State Champ 2015, 16, 17 c/o ’19),” they posted, with the hashtag “#OnceAPumaAlwaysAPuma.”
The Minnesota Vikings also mourned Jackson’s death in an official statement: “Our thoughts are with Khyree’s family, friends, teammates and coaches, as well as all the victims of this tragic accident.”
Several members of the Vikings’ staff shared their grief. “Khyree had an extremely bright future ahead of him as a player,” owners Mark and Zygi Wilf wrote, adding that “it was clear he was dedicated to being a tremendous person who made a positive difference in people’s lives.”
Vikings’ general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah expressed his heartbreak, saying, “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. Khyree’s personality captured every room he was in. I’m devastated that his life and everything he had in front of him has been cut short.”
Khyree Jackson’s journey to the NFL was inspiring.
The Vikings selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 draft in April.
Born and raised in Maryland, Jackson had initially given up on football due to insufficient grades for Division 1 college play.
He worked at a local grocery store before rekindling his football ambitions in 2019.
“At one point I wasn’t really thinking about football much,” Jackson said in a video shared by the Vikings. “I had just won employee of the month at the grocery store.”
Returning to the sport, Jackson played for the Alabama Crimson Tide for two seasons before transferring to Oregon, where he caught the Vikings’ attention.
After being drafted, Jackson shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, expressing his anticipation for the future: “I guess the saying ‘life is what you make it’ really means exactly what it reads. I got up off my ass and took what I deserved.”
Khyree Jackson’s life was a testament to perseverance and hard work, and his untimely death is a profound loss to his family, friends, and the football community.
My sincerest condolences and prayers to all of the families impacted by this tragedy.
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