The Minnesota Vikings had already held their off-season programme and head coach Kevin O’Connell was back home in California.
He and the rest of the organisation were looking forward to the new NFL season when, on 6 July, O’Connell got the call that head coaches “fear more than anything”.
He was told that in the early hours of that morning Khyree Jackson, the 24-year-old cornerback Minnesota selected with their third pick of this year’s draft, had died in a car accident in Maryland.
O’Connell was “absolutely crushed”. Although Jackson had only spent a short time with the team, O’Connell saw enough to believe he was set for an “unbelievable, successful career”.
every day,” he told BBC Sport.
“You learn about what type of football character and personal character players have, and I think the most special thing about Khyree Jackson was his journey was filled with peaks and valleys.
“He went to multiple colleges and really had to learn, as a young person, exactly what he was going to set his mind to. ‘Hey, I’m going to achieve this goal, I’m going to overcome this adversity, and I’m going to come out better on the other side’.
“I have no doubt Khyree would have been a major part of our organisation for a long time.”
Despite his loss, the Vikings have won their first four games of the season and in a wide-ranging interview before Sunday’s game in London, O’Connell spoke about:
how he dealt with leading the team and the organisation
how Jackson’s loss has inspired the Vikings’ unbeaten start
how Sam Darnold has gone from forgotten man to starting quarterback
being called a ‘quarterback whisperer’
how Justin Jefferson has become a Most Valuable Player contender
whether the Vikings can make a Super Bowl run
facing Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in London
