Former Widefield High man Vincent Jackson was found dead in a Florida hotel room

DENVER – Vincent Jackson, a former University of Northern Colorado and Widefield High School, was found dead at a hotel in Brandon, Florida, on Monday, according to authorities there.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Jackson, 38, who lived in South Tampa, stayed at Homewood Suites in Brandon on Jan. 11. reports the next day, the sheriff’s office said.

On February 12, deputies found him at Homewood Suites, assessed his well-being and canceled the missing person’s case, officials said.

But the former Pro Bowl receiver was found dead by a housekeeper around 11:30 a.m. in his hotel room, the sheriff’s office said.

There were no apparent signs of trauma on Jackson’s body, the sheriff’s office said, and the county doctor’s office will determine the cause of his death.

Jackson was a conference football player at Widefield High School in Colorado Springs and also played basketball. He attended the University of Northern Colorado on a partial scholarship and was an All-America, as a returner last year. He also played basketball for the Bears.

CHRIS DONAHUE / AP

Jackson then went on to become the university’s record holder in receptions and reception yards for both a game and the season, receiving touchdowns and return yards with kicks and points.

Reed Doughty, a former UNC teammate and Vincent Jackson’s roommate, told Troy Renck of Denver7 “he is deeply saddened” by his friend’s death.

They were inducted into the NoCo Hall of Fame in 2011. Jackson waited a year to enter the Hall so he could enter with Doughty. – It was a special evening. They decided to go to UNC together after meeting on a recruiting trip to the Colorado School of Mines.

He was selected in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, where he continued to have two Pro Bowl seasons and three seasons in which he surpassed 1,000 yards receiving. He was the greatest football player in the history of UNC.

Jackson signed a five-year, $ 55 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and continued that year with the biggest careers at receptions and reception yards and won another Pro Bowl selection. He would play for another four years with the Bucs before injuring his knee in 2016 and retiring in 2018.

Buccaneer owner Bryan Glazer said the team was saddened to learn of the news and praised his off-field work, which earned him several nominations for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

“We are shocked and saddened to hear the terrible news of the loss of Vincent Jackson. In the five seasons with our franchise, Vincent was a perfect professional, who was very proud of his performances on and off the football field. Vincent was a dedicated father, husband, businessman and philanthropist who had a profound impact on our community through his unwavering advocacy for military families, supported by the Jackson Foundation in Action 83. He was three times selected for the Pro Bowl for his achievements on the field, but his greatest achievement as a Buccaneer were the four consecutive nominations he won as Walter Payton’s Man of the Year. Our deepest condolences to his wife, Lindsey, and the entire Jackson family. ”

“My heart aches for the many loved ones that Vincent Jackson left behind, from his wife and children to the Buccaneers who adored him,” Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County said in a statement.

“Mr. Jackson was a devoted man who put his family and community above all else. Football aside, he achieved countless lives through his Jackson In Action Foundation 83. I shared a passion for supporting military families, and three years ago “Jackson was even made an honorary member of the Hillsborough County sheriff’s office in recognition of his devotion to the community,” Chronister added. Hillsborough County who took advantage of his generous contributions. ”

“Rest in peace for one of the greatest bears of all time,” the University of Northern Colorado football team wrote on Twitter.

This is a developing news item and will be updated.