Having played football from 6 years old, Jackson noted the journey and the loved ones who helped him travel it.
“And then up until now, I look to my right and left, I see my mom, my grandmother, my family and friends, all those people who were the village that helped raise me into the man I am today,” Jackson said. “And just feeling the relief and gratitude that all the hard work that they poured into me, I was able to just give a fraction back, saying, ‘Hey, all that work that y’all put in has paid off.’ “
Jackson’s family has played a significant role in the player he is on and off the field, as Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah described a contrast between the two:
“Really good in pass protection, you know, recover quickness, all those great things you want — can anchor — and then in the run game, you know, for kind of a mild mannered, when he walks in your office … he turns into a different guy on the football field,” Adofo-Mensah said.
