Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke on the toughness of the late Khyree Jackson at a funeral held on Friday for the rookie cornerback who was killed in a car accident earlier this month.
O’Connell said Jackson opted to play through shoulder pain in camp despite encouraging the fourth-round pick to seek treatment.
“I wouldn’t have held it against him one bit if he decided it was time to fix that shoulder,” O’Connell said. “… He looked at me, and said, ‘Nope, I can play. I have to be out there with my brothers. I would rather do what I have to do and fight through it to be out there and try to help my team win.'”
Jackson, 24, was expected to compete for a starting spot after the Vikings selected him out of Oregon in April’s NFL Draft.
Jackson was one of three killed in a three-car crash in Prince George’s County, Md., in the early hours of July 6. Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton Jr., 24, were also killed. The three were football teammates at Dr. Henry A. Wise High in Maryland.
