Former Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson died Sunday night in a car crash. He was 36.
A Tennessee State spokesperson confirmed Jackson’s death to ESPN. Jackson was the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 after spending a year as a quality control and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Alabama State.
Tavaris Jackson Dies in Car Crash in Alabama
According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Jackson was involved in a single-vehicle crash at 8:50 p.m. Sunday; the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro he was driving left the roadway, struck a tree and then overturned. Jackson was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The crash occurred approximately 7 miles south of Jackson’s hometown of Montgomery, Alabama.
It’s awful that his family of five has to experience a life-changing event like this. Lots of former teammates and coaches expressed their condolences.
Jackson’s NFL Career
Jackson started 21 regular-season and playoff games for the Vikings but was a backup for most of his five seasons in Minnesota. The 6-foot-2 quarterback helped the Vikings win the NFC North title in 2008 before his sole postseason appearance, a wild-card loss to Philadelphia.
The Vikings expressed their condolences in a team statement on Monday.
“The entire Vikings family is saddened by the news of Tarvaris Jackson being taken from us too soon. One of Tarvaris’ greatest attributes was his positive outlook and approach. He genuinely cared about others, was a good friend and will be missed by family, teammates and Vikings fans everywhere. We send our deepest condolences to his family.”
Brett Favre on Jackson’s Class
Jackson ended his time in Minnesota as Brett Favre’s backup for the 2009-10 seasons. Favre remembered Jackson as “pure class.”
“Tarvaris could have been anything but welcoming, but [instead he] was pure class and as good a teammate as any I’ve played with,” Favre said in a statement. “[I’m] proud to call him friend!! Such sad news.”
Jackson signed with Seattle as a free agent in 2011 and won over the Seahawks’ locker room during his lone season as a starter by playing through a partially-torn pectoral muscle on his throwing side. He did not register a snap with the Bills.
Former players speak out after Tavaris Jackson dies
Tavaris seemed like a great teammate based on all of the stories and kind words spoken by his former teammates and coaches. He was a joy to have in the locker room even if he didn’t make a huge difference on the field.
When returned to Seattle in 2013 and was Russell Wilson’s backup in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos. Jackson was a serious dual-threat quarterback and fit in very well backing up Wilson during the Legion of Boom years.
This article was first published by ESPN.
