More Details on the Jeff Gladney Tragedy

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports.

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Jeff Gladney passed away on Memorial Day after a car accident in Dallas.

Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1st Round of the 2020 Draft, Gladney signed with the Cardinals on March 16 after he was acquitted of assault a week earlier, the alleged infraction that caused his release by the Vikings in 2021.

New details emerged on Monday afternoon, including the location and time of the accident in Dallas — along a Woodall Rodgers Freeway service road adjacent to Allen Street around 2:30 am. Authorities pronounced Gladney and an unnamed woman dead at the scene.

Image from NBCDFW

While the investigation is still in progress, officials mentioned speed may have been a contributing factor.

Brian Overstreet, Gladney’s agent, said of the tragedy, “We are asking prayers for the family and privacy at this most difficult time.”

Gladney arrived to the Vikings the same night the team drafted Justin Jefferson in 2020. He started 15 of 16 games for Minnesota in 2020, possessing an upward trajectory for his sophomore campaign. His 81 total Tackles in 2020 were the most by Vikings cornerback since Antoine Winfield Sr. in 2012.

Jeff Gladney
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Condolences for Gladney poured in on Twitter on Monday from Cameron Dantzler, J.J. Watt, Jalen Reagor, and Justin Jefferson, among dozens of others.

https://twitter.com/jalenreagor/status/1531327563485917185?s=20&t=eIfzsoMa_CT23CK-EFRgXw

Gladney was a standout football player, basketball player, and track athlete at New Boston High School before attending TCU.

He was 25 years old.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

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