Vikings hold private celebration of life to honor Khyree Jackson

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings opened the NFL preseason with a 24-23 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, but the weekend started with a tribute to Khyree Jackson.

The rookie defensive back was killed in a car crash in Maryland on July 6, just a few weeks before the Vikings were to report to training camp at TCO Performance Center. The Vikings drafted Jackson to potentially have a big role in the secondary after two seasons at Alabama, and last year at Oregon.

Saturday’s tribute

The Vikings flew in Jackson’s family for the weekend. They watched Saturday’s preseason game and held a pregame video tribute for Jackson. His younger brother was an honorary captain and helped the Vikings win the opening coin toss.

"I thought it was a very special moment for our team, not only today pregame, having his little brother go out and win the coin toss for us," Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. 

Celebration of life

The Vikings held a private ceremony on Friday to honor Jackson’s life. During training camp, O’Connell, defensive coordinator Brian Flores and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones attended Jackson’s funeral.

"Just spending time with the whole family and yesterday, a beautiful celebration of life we had privately as a team with his family. I want to make sure they always know that they’re part of our Vikings family moving forward," O’Connell said.

Other tributes

The Vikings have a No. 31 symbol between their two turf practice fields at TCO Performance Center. His No. 31 jersey will not be worn this season, and his locker at the team facility will go unused. The team is wearing No. 31 helmet decals this year, and the coaching staff is wearing pins in his honor.

The Vikings worked with the NFL Players’ Association to donate the entirety of his signing bonus to his estate.