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”.
It’s still something I think about almost 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
Being ‘a rock’ for the Vikings and Jackson’s family
The Vikings reported back for training camp on 22 July and counselling was available to everyone in the organisation.
O’Connell was among five members of the Vikings staff that attended Jackson’s funeral in Maryland, while the player’s family attended a celebration of life in Minnesota, as well as the team’s first pre-season game.
“It’s not something I had been through before, but I thought it was very important to do a couple of things,” said O’Connell, 39.
“I wanted to authentically allow our team to feel the emotions they were feeling and to work through them. I did not want to ask them to put it out of their mind.
“The other thing was leading in the face of adversity. I needed to be the rock for our organisation, to be standing out front, but also showing some vulnerabilities, personally, so that guys knew that it was OK to be grieving and that we would work through this together.”
The team has kept Jackson’s locker at the training facility as it is. They will set up his locker at Tottenham this weekend, just as they do for every game, and players and coaches will continue to wear helmet stickers and lapel pins bearing his initials.
“My job now, knowing what a special person and player he was, is to make sure we maintain our memory of him and that he remains an impactful member of our organisation,” O’Connell added.
“Most importantly, we’ll continue to make sure his family know they’re always part of our family and the special thing we have going on here.”
In seven years coaching across four teams, O’Connell formed an idea of what kind of culture he wanted to build as a head coach – one that’s player led.
Since the Vikings gave him that opportunity in February 2022, he’s challenged his players to have input and ownership, to “create something that’s one of one in being totally connected with our players”.
“I knew that if we could get that right, we would get the football right,” he added.
O’Connell says that communication, discipline and accountability are key factors to a mindset where his players “care about doing things for a reason greater than yourself”.
He also spoke to them about being “situational masters” and executing when the game is on the line, and they have become used to overcoming adversity on and off the field.
Eleven of their 13 wins in 2022 were by eight points or fewer. Last season quarterback Kirk Cousins and star receiver Justin Jefferson got injured, yet they remained in play-off contention till mid-December.
“I think it’s ingrained in the team that if there’s time on the clock, we’ve still got a chance,” said O’Connell.
“We’ve combined that euphoric experience of winning all those games in 2022 with 2023, when we got a different kind of lesson. Dealing with that adversity, I think there was a lot of organisational growth in our mindset and understanding what we’re going to be about moving forward.”
Now they are one of just two NFL teams to remain unbeaten – along with last season’s Super Bowl winners the Kansas City Chiefs – and O’Connell believes Jackson’s loss has provided them with extra inspiration.
“I think so, because it’s allowed us to focus and have a reality check of nothing is given,” he said. “We understand how blessed and fortunate we are to do this on a daily basis because it can be taken away in a moment.
“So let’s make sure we maximise every moment we have with one another, understanding how special a place this is, what the players have built here.”
