On Friday, several members of the Minnesota Vikings took a brief break from training camp to attend the funeral of teammate Khyree Jackson. This included Dallas Turner, who played with Jackson with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The service also featured head coach Kevin O’Connell, with assistant HC Mike Pettine taking over KOC’s duties at practice.
O’Connell’s presence at the funeral was a welcome one. The Vikings head coach even took the podium to share a few of his warmer memories of his time with the 24-year-old Maryland native. Included in his emotional speech was a previously unknown tidbit about Jackson’s drive and persistence.
Kevin O’Connell’s speech at Khyree Jackson funeral shows how much they both cared
According to Kevin O’Connell, Khyree Jackson had been battling a bit of a shoulder injury, but that wouldn’t stop him from competing anyway. Clearly, the young athlete wanted to show coaches and his teammates that he wouldn’t quit on them at the first sign of distress.
As expected, O’Connell can be heard choking up a bit as he did his best to hold back his emotions while getting through his speech. Here was a portion of O’Connell’s speech, which was captured by the local WCCO media team.
If it wasn’t clear before, O’Connell is a player’s coach, through and through. As a former NFL quarterback, he gets it.
In addition to O’Connell’s support, the Vikings will continue to honor Jackson’s memory in a number of ways. As mentioned, that includes new EDGE rusher Dallas Turner .
The Vikings will also hold a memorial service ahead of their first preseason matchup in which the organization is flying his family in to be a part of their presentation. Minnesota opens up its exhibition season on Saturday, August 10, against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Related: Vikings Pay Homage to Khyree Jackson at Training Camp
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