TAMPA (WFLA) – Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson is being remembered for his NFL career and commitment to the Tampa Bay area community.
“He could have went anywhere and he stayed here in Tampa Bay and actually made a pretty good legacy,” said Keith Kunzig, better known as Bucs superfan “Big Nasty.”
Around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said a housekeeper found Jackson dead in a room at the Homewood Suites hotel in Brandon.
“This great man is gone and it’s a total loss,” Kunzig said.
Deputies said Jackson had been living in South Tampa, but he checked into the hotel on Jan. 11. Last week concerned family members reported him missing. On Friday, deputies said they spoke with him at the hotel and canceled the missing person case.
Kunzig said the way Jackson played reminded him of two current Bucs.
“Beast mode,” he said, “I mean let’s face it before Mike Evans, i mean he went over the middle. He’s kind of like a Mike Evans-Gronk mix.”
But Jackson’s legacy includes his impact off the field in Tampa Bay. Kunzig shared with 8 On Your Side a photo of Jackson meeting his daughter at a charity event.
“He didn’t just stay there, like ‘hey let me take a quick picture,’ he stayed a good 20 minutes just talking to her,” Kunzig said.
In the past year, Jackson partnered with the Hillsborough County School District and a coffee company for a project helping low-income students.
“The person that showed up was not first an NFL player,” said Tamara Shamburger, a former school board member, “but it was a man that was community minded, that was caring, that was selfless.”
The sadness from the sudden loss comes right after the celebration for the Bucs biggest win in 18 years.
“You know to be Super Bowl Champions and to have this right now kind of dampers it a little bit, I got to be honest, but its part of life man,” Kunzig said.
According to HCSO, Jackson’s body did not have any obvious signs of trauma. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner will try to determine the cause of death for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer.