Former Vikings first-round pick tragically passes away in car accident

Former Minnesota Vikings cornerback and 2020 first-round draft pick, Jeff Gladney, has passed away at the age of 25 following a car accident on Monday.

Early Monday morning, former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Gladney was involved in a car accident in Dallas Texas according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The crash ended up resulting in the tragic death of Gladney and a female passenger who was also in the vehicle.

Gladney was reportedly speeding, and after his vehicle clipped a car in front of him, he lost control, and his vehicle caught fire after crashing according to WFAA-TV in Dallas.

Gladney was only 25-years-old and he had spent the last few months preparing for his first season as a member of the Arizona Cardinals.

Multiple players react to the tragic passing of former Minnesota Vikings CB Jeff Gladney

Gladney was selected by Minnesota during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, so there are still a good amount of players on the team’s current roster that were teammates with him two seasons ago.

Vikings wide receiver, and fellow 2020 first-round draft selection, Justin Jefferson was one of the first to post his reaction online to the sudden passing of Gladney on Monday.

https://twitter.com/JJettas2/status/1531334228339736576?s=20&t=7nJkjHksoQDzrnWYMaAqPQ

Multiple Minnesota cornerbacks that spent a significant amount of time with Gladney during his lone year with the team also shared their reactions on social media to the tragic accident.

Following the news of Gladney’s sudden passing, the Vikings posted a statement about the tragedy that happened on Monday.

The passing of the former Minnesota first-round pick is just incredibly tragic. After the Vikings cut him in 2021 due to accusations of assault (which he was later found not guilty of), Gladney had been given a second chance in the NFL by the Cardinals.

Arizona gave him a two-year contract worth $6 million and he was expected to have a significant role in the team’s secondary next season.

Unfortunately, no one will ever get to see Gladney reach his full potential in the NFL after the terrible tragedy that took place in Dallas on Monday.