At 24 years old, quarterback Dwyane Haskins was fatally hit by a dump truck on Interstate 595 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Haskins’ wife Kalabrya said that he was walking to get gas when he died on April 9.
Along with being hit by a dump truck, Haskins was also hit by another car that saw him and failed to avoid hitting him. A report found that neither of the drivers were the cause of the accident and that Haskins was improperly on the road.
Because of its timing, Haskins’ death came as a surprise to football fans around the country.
“My friend texted our group chat and I thought that it was definitely fake. Then I searched it up and a bunch of things came up,” freshman Seth Stein said.
After attending Ohio State, Haskins was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft when he got drafted to Washington. He was released from the Commanders (at the time Washington Football Team) and was later signed by the Steelers where he finished his career. During his time at Ohio State he was a Heisman Trophy finalist and he currently holds the Big Ten conference records for passing yards, pass completion, touchdown passes, total offense, touchdowns responsible for and passing efficacy. He also led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten Championship.
“I really liked watching him play at Ohio State. I was really sad and shocked when I found out he died because he was such a fun quarterback to watch in college,” freshman Jake Greenfeld said.
Originally from Highland Park, New Jersey, Haskins moved to Potomac and attended Bullis for high school. He was a 4-star recruit out of high school which gave him a good enough profile to play in Ohio Stadium. Bullis held a ceremony to honor Haskins which was attended by hundreds of people including many current and former Commanders players, Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Maryland head coach Mike Locksley.
“He had the smile of a rainbow that touched the diversity of so many. He will forever rest and remain in our hearts till the end of time,” Haskin’s wife said in a statement.
Haskins was going to turn 25 on May 3.
“It’s sad and he didn’t deserve it. I was in awe and it was scary because he just died on a random Saturday at such a young age,” freshman Mateus Bouqet said.
At the time of his death, Haskins was on the Steelers’ roster. While in Fort Lauderdale he was training with his teammates including Mitch Tribinsky, Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth.
“He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community,” head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement that was posted on the Steelers’ social media accounts.
