Detroit Lions star Terrion Arnold has paid a touching tribute to his friend and former teammate Khyree Jackson ahead of the new NFL season.
Jackson died in a horror three-car crash last July, just months after being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 108th pick out of Oregon.
The late cornerback played alongside Arnold at Alabama for two seasons before transferring to Oregon in 2023, where he finished off his collegiate career.
Now, almost a year on from his death, Arnold has changed his jersey number from 0 to 6 in memory of his late friend.
‘We all know what happened to my friend Khyree and I just feel like just being able to honor his legacy and then the impact that he even had on me,’ Arnold told the ‘New Wave Podcast’ with Ryan Williams and Jaylen Mbakwe.
‘Just coming out here and then just being able to play with somebody … Khyree when he showed up here, it was really like no dead moments when it came to football.
The guy was a competitor, the ultimate competitor and it’s kind of just that extra motivation when you look down and you say, “Dang man, I got on that 6 and my brother living through me at the same time.”‘
During his time with the Crimson Tide, Jackson donned the No. 6, while Arnold also briefly sported the number on his jersey at John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee, Florida.
Jackson and two of his former high school teammates were killed in an early morning car crash on July 6, 2024 in Maryland.
He and Isaiah Hazel died at the scene, while Anthony Lytton, Jr., was pronounced dead at a hospital after the three-car crash in Prince George´s County, according to Maryland State Police. Lytton was 24 and Hazel was 23.
The three were in the same vehicle just after 3am when it was struck by another vehicle that was speeding and changing lanes, police said.
In January of this year, the Office of the State’s Attorney for Maryland’s Prince George’s County announced that a driver involved in the incident was charged with 13 counts, including DUI and criminally negligent vehicular manslaughter.
It came just over two months after Jackson was a fourth-round draft pick by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft. He had been expected to be in the running to earn a starting cornerback job at the team’s training camp.
‘I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree,’ Minnesota general manager general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said at the time. ‘As we got to know him throughout the pre-draft process, it was clear the goals Khyree wanted to accomplish both professionally and personally.
‘His story was one of resilience. He was taking steps to become the best version of himself not just for him, but for those who cared about and looked up to him.’
Meanwhile, head coach Kevin O’Connell: ‘Khyree brought a contagious energy to our facility and our team. His confidence and engaging personality immediately drew his teammates to him.’
Following his death, the Vikings agreed to cover Jackson’s funeral expenses and pay out his full signing bonus to his estate.
Hazel played college football at Maryland and Charlotte, and Lytton played at Florida State and Penn State.
The three won a state championship together at Maryland’s Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School, which paid tribute to them in a social media post.