EX-WESTLAKE FOOTBALL STAR JACKSON KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT

Indianapolis Colts line- backer Edwin Jackson, who was a standout foot- ball player and wrestler at Westlake High and Georgia Southern, was killed by a suspected drunken driver early Sunday morning in Indianapolis.

Jackson was one of two men killed when a motor- ist struck them as they stood outside their car along I-70, the Colts and police said.

Jackson, 26, was an inside linebacker and spent all of this season on injured reserve. He joined the Colts late in the 2015 season but did not appear in a game that year. In 2016, he played in all 16 games and had eight starts. He was the third-lead-

ing tackler on the team with 66 tackles. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015 as an undrafted free agent before joining the Colts.

Police said it’s believed that 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe — also killed in the crash — was a ride-sharing operator who was transporting Jack- son when Jackson became ill. Monroe pulled over to

the side of the highway and got out to help Jackson when both were struck by a pickup truck that also hit Monroe’s car, police said. State police

said the 37-year-old driver of the truck fled on foot but was apprehended on an exit ramp.

The man was believed to be intoxicated and was driv

ing without a license, police said. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where blood-alcohol test results were pending.

Jackson and Monroe were pronounced dead at the scene by the Marion County Coroner’s Office.

Jackson was a walk-on at Georgia Southern after not being recruited out of high school. He eventually became the team’s leading tackler as a senior and was on the Georgia Southern team that defeated Florida in 2013.

Jackson was a Class 5A wrestling state championship finalist at 189 pounds. The sixth of 11 children, he remained close to Westlake High. His younger brother Steve was on the 2016 football team and Edwin Jackson gave an inspiring speech at the team’s football banquet.

The Colts said in a statement they “admired” Jackson’s “outgoing personality, competitive spirit and hard-working mentality.”

Edwin Jackson played for the Indianapolis Colts.