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 a member of the Tigers’ football staff for the 2019 season as the quarterbacks coach after spending a year as a quality control and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Alabama State.
According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Jackson was involved in a single-vehicle crash at 8:50 p.m. Sunday when 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 Montgomery, Alabama, where Jackson is from.
Former Seahawks teammate Russell Wilson expressed his condolences to Jackson’s family in a Twitter post on Monday.
TJack… you will be missed. Praying for your family…Love you man. 💔
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) April 13, 2020
Jackson is survived by his wife, Lakitta, and three children, Tarvaris, Takayla and Tyson.
His 10-year NFL career began in Minnesota after he was drafted 64th overall in 2006. Jackson was a backup quarterback for most of his five seasons with the Vikings before signing with Seattle as a free agent in 2011. He was the starting quarterback there for one season before being traded to Buffalo in 2012, where he did not register a snap. Jackson returned to Seattle in 2013, where he famously served as Russell Wilson’s backup in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII win over the Denver Broncos.