Michael Jackson, who played for the Ravens from 1996 to 1998 and led the NFL with 14 touchdowns in his first season with the team, was killed Friday in a motorcycle accident in his hometown of Tangipahoa, La. Jackson was 48 years old.
According to TMZ Sports, Jackson was driving at a "high rate of speed" when his 2013 Kawasaki motorcycle crashed into the driver's side door of a car that was backing out of a parking spot and onto U.S. 51 Highway. Per the report, the motorcycle went through the car door and both Jackson and the driver of the car were killed.
The accident is under investigation.
"Today, our hearts are saddened by the awful news involving Michael," Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. "He was a vibrant person who became one of the first Ravens heroes and a popular player among Baltimore fans. Well known for his big smile and welcoming nature, it was easy to feel a special connection with Michael."
Jackson, a teammate of Brett Favre's at Southern Mississippi, was a sixth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 1991 draft. The wide receiver played his first five NFL seasons with the Browns before moving on to Baltimore with the team.
In three seasons with the Ravens, he started 43 games and had 183 catches for 2,596 yards and 18 touchdowns. His best season came in 1996 when he set franchise records with 1,201 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
He became a free agent after the 1998 season and decided to retire at age 30 following a tryout with the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to Tangipahoa, where he owned a nightclub and a music production company that he started in Baltimore.
Jackson entered politics and served as the mayor of Tangipahoa, which is 30 miles north of New Orleans, from 2008 to 2012.
