‘It is a dark day’: Wise High School mourns Vikings Khyree Jackson, former athletes after deadly crash

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. ( DC News Now ) — The mourning continues at Wise High School following the deaths of three former football players, one of whom was 24-year-old Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson.

“It’s hard. I think it’s hard on everybody,” said an emotional former head football coach Dalawn Parrish of his former players.

Jackson, along with 23-year-old Isaiah Hazel and 24-year-old Anthony Lytton, Jr., died in a crash early Saturday morning on northbound Route 4 and Presidential Parkway.

“It is a dark day,” said Jason Gordon, Wise High School’s director of athletics.

The Minnesota Vikings had just drafted Jackson in April during the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

“Khyree always believed in himself,” Parrish said. “Nobody can tell you any different about the talent he had and what he could do.”

Jackson had been expected to compete at cornerback for the Vikings after the rookie graduated from the University of Oregon.

Hazel worked on his master’s degree after graduating from the University of Maryland.

Lytton was all set to play at Bowie State this fall after stops at Florida State University and Penn State University.

“They were all very remarkable young men,” Gordon said. “They showed what it means to persevere. They displayed perseverance in their post-secondary careers.”

A memorial service is being planned for the three former players, according to Gordon, and the next season will be dedicated to them.

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