Funeral for Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson underway in Maryland; Coach & GM in attendance

By Aki Nace

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    UPPER MALBORO, Maryland (WCCO) — Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are among the attendees for the funeral of Khyree Jackson, a 24-year-old Upper Malboro, Maryland native who was tragically killed in a car crash earlier this month.

Jackson was one of three people killed in the early-morning crash. Investigators say his car was hit by a driver who was believed to be impaired at the time. The driver then struck a separate, third vehicle. The two other occupants of Jackson’s car — 24-year-old Anthony Lytton and 23-year-old Isaiah Hazel — also died in the crash.

Family and friends are gathering Friday to honor Jackson’s life, as well as the life of Hazel, who was a high school teammate.

In addition to O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah, defensive coordinator Brian Flores, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones will attend the service.

Jackson was a fourth-round draft pick who Flores said had a “bright future.” The former Oregon and Alabama student-athlete boasted skills in press coverage and run stopping that fit well into Flores’ aggressive scheme.

In the weeks since Jackson’s death, the Vikings have donated $20,000 to funeral expenses for the family. The team will also pay out the remainder of Jackson’s $800,000 signing bonus to his estate.

This season, the Vikings will honor Jackson in a variety of ways; they’ll wear helmet patches with his initials, and his number and locker will remain untouched. Coaches and staff will have the opportunity to wear pins with the decal design, and the stenciling on the practice fields will be dedicated to Jackson’s memory.

“We’ll continue to honor Khyree,” said Adofo-Mensah. “I know I’ve lost [my] father early, a close friend in college at a young age, and how I honored them and how we’ll honor Khyree is by memories we have with him … and when we think and laugh and smile at what he might have said or what he might have done. How we live our lives, how we smile, how we live with joy, how we work hard and how we approach our craft. That’s how we’ll honor him on a day-to-day basis.”

The team will also fly Jackson’s family to Minnesota in the coming weeks for a private commemoration with players and coaches.

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