Michael Jackson, who spent eight NFL seasons with the Browns and Ravens in the 1990s and led the leaguein touchdown catches during the Ravens first season in Baltimore, died early Friday morning in a motorcycle accident.
Louisiana police confirmed to TMZ Sports that Jackson, 48, was traveling at a high rate of speed on U.S. Highway 51 in Tangipahoa, La., when his motorcycle crashed into a car that was backing out into the highway. The impact was so strong that the bike reportedly smashed through the drivers side door and killed both Jackson and the driver of the car.
Jackson was a sixth-round pick by the Browns in 1991 and had three 700-yard receiving yearsin his first five seasonsbefore his breakout year when the team moved to Baltimore in 1996. He set career highs in receptions (76), yards (1,201) and TDs (14) in that seasonyear as a Raven. He played two more yearsin Baltimore before injuries cut his career short at age 29.
Jackson was the mayor of the Village of Tangipahoa, a town with about 750 residents, from 2009-13.
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