Minnesota Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson is one of three football players dead following a triple-vehicle crash that occurred in Maryland in the early hours of Saturday.
The 24-year-old cornerback was killed alongside two of his high school teammates, 23-year-old Isaiah Hazel and 24-year-old Anthony Lytton Jr., in the collision in Prince George’s County, according to Maryland State Police.
Jackson was in the front passenger seat of a Dodge Charger when their car was struck around 3 a.m. by an Infiniti Q50, which also hit a Chevrolet Impala.
The Charger then “traveled off of the right side of the roadway and struck multiple tree stumps where the vehicle came to rest,” police said.
Jackson and Hazel, who was driving, were both pronounced dead at the scene. Lytton, who was riding in the back, was transported to the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, where he later died.
Investigators believe the driver of the Infiniti, identified as 23-year-old Cori Clingman, was speeding when she attempted to change lanes, striking the athletes’ vehicle and then the Impala, whose driver was the only occupant and was not hurt in the crash.
Neither Clingman nor her two passengers were injured.
Authorities believe alcohol may have contributed to the collision. An investigation is underway and charges are pending.
The accident occurred in Jackson’s native Prince George’s County, where he, Lytton and Hazel played football at Wise High School.
Lytton and Hazel also played college ball — Lytton at Florida State and Penn State, and Hazel at the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, per ESPN.
The Minnesota Vikings on Saturday released a statement mourning the loss of Jackson, a fourth-round draft pick who was considered a contender to start at cornerback.
Statement from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Khyree Jackson’s tragic passing. pic.twitter.com/W7VFDtq2Z8
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 6, 2024
“I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree,” said general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. “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. … I’m devastated that his life and everything he had in front of him has been cut short.”
Jackson was also remembered as a “great player [and] better person” by Dan Lanning, his college football coach at the University of Oregon.