Ex-Browns, Ravens WR Michael Jackson killed in motorcycle crash

Former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Michael D. Jackson was killed in a motorcycle crash on Friday morning, according to TMZ Sports. The report cites a confirmation from Louisiana State Police that Jackson, who turned 48 in April, was killed in the accident in Tangipahoa.

The report says Jackson was driving his 2013 Kawasaki motorcycle at a “high rate of speed” around 1 a.m. when a 20-year-old woman backed out of a parking spot and into the path of Jackson. He reportedly crashed into the woman’s driver-side door and killed her as well. The investigation into the crash continues.

Jackson, who played eight seasons in the NFL and led the league in receiving touchdowns in 1996, spoke with Shutdown Corner last summer about the move of the Browns franchise following the 1995 season and the tumultuous first year in Baltimore in the birth of the Ravens’ organization in the new city.

He was a college teammate of Brett Favre at Southern Mississippi and entered the NFL in 1991 with first-year Browns head coach Bill Belichick, playing five seasons there before finishing an injury-plagued career with the Ravens in 1998. Jackson caught 353 passes for 5,393 yards and 46 touchdowns — including the 14 league-leading scores in 1996 — over his eight seasons.

Jackson served as the mayor of Tangipahoa, his hometown, from 2009 to 2013.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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