EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings say they will cover a large portion of the funeral expenses for Khyree Jackson, a rookie cornerback who was killed in a crash earlier this month in Maryland.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell opened his press conference Monday talking about Jackson, who died in a crash on July 6 while riding in a vehicle with two of his former high school teammates. Jackson's two teammates, Isaiah Hazel and Anthony Lytton, Jr., were also killed.
"It's the call we all absolutely fear more than anything," said an emotional O'Connell. "... To get that phone call, and know that — not only Khyree, but two other tragic lives were lost — all young adults gone way, way too early. It leaves you heartbroken."
The Vikings say they're contributing more than $20,000 toward the expenses for the funeral, and will pay out the remainder of his signing bonus to his estate. O'Connell says he will be attending the funeral on Friday, along with Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, defensive coordinator Brian Flores, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones.
“I think it is a wakeup call in a lot of ways that we are not guaranteed another day on this earth at any point in time,” O'Connell said. “And there’s not one player in that locker room that probably didn’t think about that at some point in time in their grieving process, just how unfair to Khyree and his family that this was, and ‘What would that have been like?’ or ‘Could that have been me?’ type of questions."
Police say Hazel was driving with Jackson and Lytton when a vehicle attempting to change lanes struck them at a high rate of speed. Officials have come out and said they believe alcohol played a factor.
"I remember the first time I saw him up close, it was at the Senior Bowl doing 1-on-1 reps in the red zone," said Adofo-Mensah. "He had a penchant for commentary, let's say, and the player he was playing against didn't seem to be having very much fun. Khyree was a joyful spirit."
Adofo-Mensah said that the team will fly Jackson's family to Minnesota in the coming weeks for a private commemoration with Vikings players and coaches. Jackson's No. 31 jersey and his locker will go unused this season, and players will have helmet decals with his initials on them. Coaches will also wear pins with the same design.
"We'll continue to honor Khyree," Adofo-Mensah said. "I know I've lost a father early, a close friend in college at a young age, and how I honored them and how I think we'll all honor Khyree is by the memories we have of him."
Jackson, 24, was a fourth-round pick for the Vikings and was in the running to earn a starting spot after a strong showing at OTAs. He was a receiver in high school and helped lead his team to two state championships before attending Arizona Western Community College. He returned home after just a few weeks, and eventually got so good at video games that he considered pursuing a career as an NBA 2K League player.
He was training for a tournament when he got a call from Fort Scott Community College about returning to the football field. He spent one season at Fort Scott before transferring to East Mississippi Community College for the 2020 season, which was eventually canceled due to COVID. He soon joined Alabama, where his first start came in the 2021 national championship game, and one year later, he transferred to Oregon to finish his collegiate career.
"From the moment Khyree was drafted and showed up here, he had a unique journey up until that moment," O'Connell said. "... Throughout the draft process and then his early time being a Minnesota Viking, you felt a guy that had such a laser focus on what his mission — his plan — was. And it really showed up in the spring. He had a very, very good spring, and was really looking forward to coming back to training camp and being well on his way to that path to having a big impact on our team for this year."