Former NFL wide receiver Michael Jackson was killed in a motorcycle accident Friday in his hometown of Tangipahoa, Louisiana, police said.
Jackson, 48, played in the NFL for eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens from 1991 to 1998.
Jackson's motorcycle was traveling "at a high rate of speed" around 1 a.m. Friday when it crashed into a car that was backing out of a parking space and into both lanes of the highway, ESPN said, citing a police report.
Jackson was one of the first stars for the Ravens after the franchise relocated from Cleveland in 1996. In the Ravens' first season, he led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches, according to Pro-Football Reference.
In eight NFL seasons, Jackson finished with 353 receptions for 5,393 yards receiving and 46 touchdowns. Injuries curtailed his career, forcing him to retire at the age of 29, ESPN reported.
Jackson served as the mayor of Tangipahoa from 2009 to 2013.
New England’s Bill Belichick, who coached Jackson during the receiver’s first five NFL seasons in Cleveland, issued a statement and said he was “deeply saddened.”
The Ravens also issued a statement, with general manager Ozzie Newsome saying that Jackson was “a vibrant person who became one of the Ravens’ first heroes.”
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