NFL
“Get your rest.”
Members of the NFL community expressed their condolences Saturday after Minnesota Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson died in a car accident overnight.
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who grew to know Jackson as a fellow University of Oregon product, shared a photo of Jackson’s from 2023.
“You did exactly what you told me you was gon do,” Gonzalez wrote. “Get your rest.”
Gonzalez indicated that his heart was broken.
Gonzalez was a standout for the Ducks in 2022, then Jackson came in and essentially filled his role in 2023 once Gonzalez was with the Patriots.
“I’m definitely trying to be myself but also step into his role as being a lockdown corner,” Jackson told reporters at the time. “Not really having that side of the field you really have to worry about. That’s definitely what I look forward to, but at the same time bringing my own swag to the team.”
Jackson quit football after high school, returned to play at a community college, then blossomed into a Division 1 player at the University of Alabama.
Following an all-Pac-12 season at Oregon in 2023, he declared for the NFL Draft. The Vikings selected the 24-year-old Jackson in the fourth round this year.
“I am absolutely crushed by this news,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said in a statement. “Khyree brought a contagious energy to our facility and our team. His confidence and engaging personality immediately drew his teammates to him.”
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