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Chaos’ Kyle Jackson Shares Moving Message About the Power of Lacrosse

Posted on by angelo

On Saturday, after Carolina’s 10-6 loss to the Philadelphia Waterdogs, the veteran midfielder Kyle Jackson shared a powerful and moving message with the media.

Jackson, the only Chaos player with Indigenous heritage, was asked about Native Heritage Weekend in Minnesota and what it meant to him.

“It’s huge, and the reality is I don’t get too emotional very often,” Jackson said with a laugh. “They say this game is a medicine game, and it’s not about winning or losing — although that’s great in the grand scheme of it all.”

Before the game, Jackson’s family lost his wife’s grandfather and his children’s “Super Dad,” leaving an extra burden on the 30-year-old in Minneapolis.

“But this morning, I can’t ignore the fact that my wife and her family lost their grandfather today. My kids lost their great dad,” Jackson continued, prompting a deep hush in the room. “So even though you know this is a medicine game for me, I will sacrifice losing and winning in a grand scheme like this to be with some really great people.”

Chaos head coach and general manager Andy Towers consoled Jackson by putting his arm around the midfielder.

“I don’t think I’ve cried in over 20 years,” Jackson said. “Right now, it’s hard to sit down and go to a game when I know a lot of people are grieving at home. But it was ironic that he passed away on a day that was a medicine game.”

Jackson, a member of the Turtle clan, then delivered a message about the sport of lacrosse as a whole.

“I think if I could just say one thing, it’s a sport where you want to compete, you want to win and you want to lose, and that’s the ultimate goal,” Jackson told the crowd. “But if along the way you can meet great people and Coach Towers and everybody in that locker room, that’s what it’s all about.”

“The competitor in me is angry today because we lost, yes, but there was a bigger story in all of this today for me, and I’m just grateful that everyone came out to support and enjoy the sport of lacrosse.”

Jackson, in his fourth season with Chaos, embodied the message and reiterated that Saturday’s game was about more than just losing and winning.

“It was so much more than that today for me,” Jackson said before the news conference ended.