Former Bucs star, 40 under 40 winner, found dead in hotel room

BRANDON — Vincent Jackson, who launched and ran several businesses and philanthropic ventures in the region after a 12-year professional football career, was found dead in a Brandon hotel room Monday, Feb. 15.  

No cause of death had been officially determined and there were no apparent signs of trauma, according to a statement from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office. A South Tampa resident, Jackson, 38, checked into the Homewood Suites in Brandon Jan. 11 and had been staying in a room since that date, authorities say. A housekeeper found Jackson dead in the room at approximately 11:30 a.m.  

Jackson’s family members called the Sheriff’s office Feb. 10 to report him missing, the statement says. A formal report was filed Feb. 11. The following day, Feb. 12, deputies located Jackson at the Homewood Suites and spoke with him. After assessing Jackson’s well-being, the missing persons case was canceled, according to the statement. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death, as well as officially identify Jackson’s remains based on dental or DNA records. Sheriff’s officials have notified Jackson’s next of kin of his death.

A Colorado Springs native, Jackson played college football at Northern Colorado and then with the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. He stayed in Tampa after he retired from the Bucs in 2016, becoming a part of the business and civic community. On the latter, his Jackson In Action 83 Foundation supported military families. (Jackson’s father was deployed to Germany and Panama for long stretches during his 21-year military career, which sometimes made life difficult for the younger Jackson and his mother, Vincent Jackson said in a July 2020 interview with the Business Observer.)

On business, Jackson ran CTV Capital, a firm he co-founded in 2012. In a 2018 presentation on business leadership at USF, Jackson said CTV had developed and/or held about $100 million in projects and transactions, including single-family and multifamily housing construction; mortgages; insurance; property management; and a real estate brokerage. At one time Jackson also had ownership interest in Cask Social, a South Tampa restaurant, as well as the Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg, a historic property being redeveloped into a coworking space, business incubator and community kitchen. Jackson was named to the Business Observer 40 under 40 list in 2020.

"My heart aches for the many loved ones Vincent Jackson leaves behind, from his wife and children to the Buccaneers nation that adored him," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister says in the statement, also posted on the agency’s Facebook page. "Mr. Jackson was a devoted man who put his family and community above everything else. Football aside, he touched countless lives through his Jackson In Action 83 Foundation. We shared a passion for supporting military families, and three years ago, Jackson was even made an honorary deputy by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to recognize his dedication to the community. He will be sorely missed by not only football fans across the country, but also the people here in Hillsborough County who reaped the benefits of his generous contributions.”