Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins died Saturday morning in South Florida after being hit by a car, weeks shy of turning 25. The former Ohio State star was drafted No. 15 overall by the Washington Commanders in the 2019 NFL Draft before his current role in Pittsburgh.
Several offensive players for the Steelers were gathered in the Miami area this weekend to train ahead of the season this fall. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news, stating the message was passed along from Haskins’ agent Cedric Saunders.
Schefter’s now-deleted original tweet about Haskins’ death was in horrible taste and stated “Dwayne Haskins, a standout at Ohio State before struggling to catch on with Washington and Pittsburgh in the NFL, died this morning when he got hit by a car in South Florida, per his agent Cedric Saunders. Haskins would have turned 25 years old on May 3.” It was taken down after immediate backlash about 15 minutes later and replaced without mentioning his pro struggles.
Reaction quickly poured in from the NFL community. Quarterback trainer Quincy Avery tweeted that Haskins was due to train with him this upcoming week. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said he was “lost for words.” Haskins was in contention to replace Ben Roethlisberger as the Steelers’ starter alongside Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.
Haskins started for only one season at Ohio State, but dazzled during the 2018 season. He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting behind winner Kyler Murray and former Alabama standout Tua Tagovailoa. Haskins had yet to appear in an NFL game for Pittsburgh after being picked up by the franchise last year.
On Friday, Haskins was posting Instagram videos from the Steelers trip to Florida, joking around with running back Najee Harris. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin released a statement on Haskins’ passing on Saturday morning:
“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins. He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on and off the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kalabrya, and his entire family during this difficult time.”