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Khyree Jackson was tragically killed in a car crash earlier this month as he was gearing up for his rookie year with the Vikings, and the franchise is taking a very commendable approach to honoring his memory while doing what it can to assist his family during an incredibly trying time.
You won’t find many people who took a less conventional route to get to the NFL than Khyree Jackson, the cornerback who graduated from high school in 2017 and had planned to keep playing football at Arizona Western College before heading back to his native Maryland due to homesickness.
Jackson worked at a grocery store and toyed with the idea of pursuing a career as a professional NBA 2K player before bringing his two-year football hiatus to an end after enrolling at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas.
He subsequently received close to two dozen offers from high-profile Division I programs due to his standout play before heading to Alabama and spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide before finishing his college career as a member of the Oregon Ducks, where he earned First Team All Pac-12 honors.
The Minnesota Vikings ultimately selected Jackson with the 108th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and in May, he inked a four-year contract worth over $4.8 million that was accompanied by a $827K signing bonus.
On July 6th, the 24-year-old was riding in a car with a couple of teammates from high school in the town where he grew up when all three men were killed after their vehicle was struck by another driver (who police believe was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash).
According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, the Vikings announced their plans to honor Jackson’s memory on Monday when they revealed every player will be rocking a “KJ” decal on their helmet this season.
The franchise will also be paying out the remainder of the signing bonus to his estate and will be covering some of the expenses for the funeral that will be held on Friday in addition to organizing another celebration of life in Minnesota on an undetermined date.
Well done.