Tragic Death Of Khyree Jackson, 24, Is A Shockingly Familiar NFL Event

There is a brutal pain that goes far beyond football when a young player has lost his life at any stage of his career. It is especially true when that player is a rookie who has not yet set foot on an NFL playing field. The death of Minnesota Vikings fourth-round draft pick Khyree Jackson is a shocking and awful development for his family and friends – a clear tragedy.

Jackson died after the car he was riding in as a front-seat passenger was struck by a speeding vehicle and it crashed. He was 24 years old.

The Vikings also suffered a major blow. No, Jackson was not going to be a mainstay in the secondary. Fourth-round draft choices might make the team, they might serve a role on the practice squad or they could get cut. In Jackson’s case, a decent showing in training camp would have led to a roster spot and some legitimate playing time. As any fan of the team or NFC North observer knows, cornerback play is not a particular strength of the Vikings.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah clearly had high hopes and big plans for a player who had already overcame much and had demonstrated growth to this point in his football career. “I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree,” Adofo-Mensah said. “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.”

When training camp gets underway July 27, head coach Kevin O’Connell will attempt to run a business-as-usual camp for the opening of the season. But the death of a young player is likely to hang over this team throughout the summer – if not the season.

Untimely player deaths in football seem to happen more often than in all the other sports combined. In 2022, three NFL players were killed, including quarterback Dwayne Haskins of the Steelers. He died after he was struck by moving vehicle on a highway. Cornerback Jeff Gladney of the Cardinals was killed in a car crash, while linebacker-defensive end Jaylon Ferguson of the Ravens passed away after a drug overdose.

The Steelers finished 9-8 that season and out of the playoffs, the Cardinals were 4-13 and in last place in the NFC West and the talented Ravens were just 10-7 and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team and promptly lost their postseason game to the Cincinnati Bengals.

In 2018, linebacker Edwin Jackson of the Colts died in a car crash but the team finished with 10-6 record and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team. Indianapolis defeated Houston in its opening playoff game, but the Colts were pummeled by Kansas City in the divisional playoffs.

There have now been 23 deaths of active players since the start of the 2000 season. One of the most memorable in NFL history came when 27-year-old Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer died of heat stroke suffered in training camp in 2001.

Many of the changes that have come in summer-time team workouts followed Stringer’s tragic collapse and death. Two-a-day practice sessions have been eliminated and practice sessions are much shorter than they were. Summer practices regularly contain scheduled time outs for water breaks that did not always exist in the past.

The brutal deaths of young players almost always takes something out of a team in terms of spirit and energy. The season appeared to be difficult enough for a team like the Vikings with a rookie quarterback in J.J. McCarthy on the horizon and a new starter – at least for the time being – in Sam Darnold.

This is also a team that will be trying to overcome the loss of its best defensive player, Danielle Hunter. It was a challenging situation before Jackson’s death and now it’s one that is likely to result in a huge mountain to climb.