MINNEAPOLIS — A funeral is set for Friday for a Minnesota Vikings rookie and his two former high school teammates. The three men were killed in a car crash in Upper Marlboro earlier this month.
Isaiah Hazel, A.J. Lytton and Khyree Jackson were all teammates on Wise High School's state championship football team back in 2016. Jackson was drafted by the Vikings this year. Now, the Vikings are honoring Jackson's legacy.
The team said it would pay Jackson's signing bonus to his estate to help pay for funeral expenses. A number of Vikings staff are expected to attend the service.
Jackson's locker will remain unused for the upcoming season, and the team plans to avoid assigning Jackson's number, 31, to another player this season. Players' helmets will also have special decals to remember Jackson.
A memorial will be held for Hazel and Jackson at First Baptist Church of Glenarden International Worship Center on Watkins Park Drive beginning at 11 a.m. Friday.
The Vikings will also have its own memorial service for Jackson at a later date.