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Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins throws during training camp Tuesday, Aug 3, 2021, at Heinz Field.
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Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins killed on Florida highway

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins killed on Florida highway

Officials: 24-year-old was hit by a dump truck while walking on Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale airport

This story was updated at 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was trying to resurrect a once-promising career and hoping to have an opportunity this season to be Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement, died early Saturday after being hit by a vehicle in South Florida.

Haskins, 24, was in Boca Raton, Fla., working out with some of his teammates including new quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, was headed to the Fort Lauderdale airport to return to Pittsburgh when the accident occurred.

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According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Haskins was walking on a “limited access facility for unknown reasons” at 6:37 a.m. and attempted to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 when he was struck by a dump truck. Haskins was pronounced dead at the scene, and the agency said a traffic homicide investigation was opened.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins sits on the bench during the second half an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in September 2021.
Ray Fittipaldo
Funeral, memorial services planned for Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins

A highway patrol public information officer said the driver of the dump truck remained on the scene and was cooperating with the investigation. The PIO did not respond to a question about the filing of charges.

Haskins was in his second season with the Steelers after being Washington’s first-round draft choice in 2019. He was trying to start a new chapter with the Steelers, who signed him as a free agent in January 2021 and tendered him a one-year, $2.54 million offer as a restricted free agent last month.

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“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “He quickly became a 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. 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.”

Haskins had been spending nearly every day of the offseason at the Steelers facility, watching film and working out to get ready to battle with Trubisky and Mason Rudolph for a quarterback spot.

“I am absolutely heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of Dwayne Haskins Jr.,” Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. “Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him. This is a very sad time and I am honestly at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team in saying he will be sorely missed.”

Haskins was born in New Jersey, and trained in Central Pennsylvania as a youth. He played at Bullis School in Potomac, Md., before going on to become a highly decorated player at Ohio State despite playing only one season as a starter.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins before a 2021 game.
Ray Fittipaldo
Former teammates, NFL community continue to share Dwayne Haskins tributes

Haskins was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft after throwing 50 touchdowns during his final season at Ohio State. That helped make him a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, and he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Haskins was also a first-team All Big-Ten pick in 2018 and was the MVP of the Big Ten title game that year. He was the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year, too, and won the Sammy Baugh Trophy and Kellen Moore Award that year. He was the 2019 Rose Bowl MVP.

But he was released by Washington after two turbulent seasons in which he compiled a 3-10 record as a starter and was eventually benched. In 16 games for Washington, he passed for 2,804 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Haskins did not appear in a regular-season game for the Steelers in 2021.

Haskins’ teammates responded to his death on social media.

“I only had the privilege to know D-Hask for a short time, but in that time I got to meet a young man that didn’t seem to ever have a bad day,” retired Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger posted on Twitter. “He came to work everyday with a smile on his face and energy and love in his heart. I really enjoyed his passion and love for the game and wanting to learn and be the best. His smile and zeal for life will be missed! Wish we had more time together on this earth, but I will cherish the time and the laughs we had! I’ll say it again just like I told you to your face, I still wish I could throw the ball like you!! Love ya pal.”

Roethlisberger continued with a message for Haskins’ wife, Kalabrya, writing, “To his wife Kalabrya, we want you to know we are praying for you and with you. We don’t understand why God does what he does but we have to trust and believe in his plan. You are an amazing woman of faith and we trust you will get through this.”

“Devastated,” Rudolph posted on Twitter.

“Dwayne meant so much to so many people,” defensive captain Cam Heyward wrote. “His smile was infectious and he was a guy you wanted to be around. We are all in shock about losing him.”

“The world lost a great person today,” wrote outside linebacker T.J. Watt, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. “When Dwayne first walked into the locker room I could tell he was an upbeat guy. He was always making people smile, never taking life for granted. His impact on me will last forever.”

“Tell your loved ones ... that you love them,” free agent cornerback Joe Haden said on Twitter. “Life is so short!! RIP Dwayne Haskins.”

Haskins’ death — and the departure of quarterback Josh Dobbs, who signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns on Friday — means the Steelers will have to add at least one quarterback to the roster before the start of training camp.

With the Steelers, Haskins was hoping to change the direction of a career that had been marred by controversy.

In December 2020, shortly after he was benched in Washington, he appeared in social media posts showing him in a strip club during the pandemic, in violation of the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Haskins publicly apologized on social media.

On July 15, his wife was arrested for domestic battery and accused of punching the quarterback in the face in Las Vegas — just four days after Haskins announced his engagement to her on social media.

Haskins’ death is the latest in a series of tragic incidents that have haunted the franchise:

• In 1977, rookie defensive tackle Randy Frisch was killed and rookie teammate Dave Grinaker was seriously injured in an auto accident driving back to training camp in Latrobe following a preseason game.

• In 1983, defensive tackle Gabe Rivera, their top draft choice, was paralyzed in a one-car accident in Ross Township just six games into his rookie season. Rivera, who was legally intoxicated at the time, died in 2018 at age 57.

• In June 2021, the brother of defensive tackle Stephon Tuitt was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he got out of his car on a busy highway in Georgia. The tragic accident weighed heavily on Tuitt, who didn’t play last season because of mental anguish.

The Steelers have seen former players die tragically, as well:

• In 2004, offensive tackle Justin Strzelczyk was 36 when he was involved in a high-speed chase with police on the New York Thruway and collided head-on with a tanker truck.

• In 2005, offensive lineman Steve Courson was 50 when a large tree he was cutting fell on him outside his home. That same year, linebacker David Little, 46, was bench-pressing weights in his Miami home when he suffered a heart attack, causing the barbell to roll across his neck and suffocate him; and guard Terry Long, 45, committed suicide by drinking antifreeze.

According to a 2006 story in the Los Angeles Times, of the 77 NFL players from the 1970s and 1980s who died at the turn of the century, 16 were former Steelers.

News hits fans hard

On Pittsburgh’s South Side on Saturday afternoon, Steelers fans took the news heavily as they flowed between sports bars on Carson Street, as both the Penguins and the Pirates played televised games.

“It’s wild,” said Lance Espir, 30, of the South Side. “I think if it happened to anyone — not even someone that’s an NFL player — any sort of celebrity, the way the events unfolded, it’s wild. It’s tragic.”

Haskins was just “24 years old,” Espir continued. “I just feel terrible for his family. I don’t know how you would deal with that. What are you going to do? You take his career, and you separate the artist from the art — his art form was football — but he as a person still had his own life.”

At the crowded bar in Mario’s South Side Saloon, other fans were mourning the loss while wondering what comes next for the Steelers.

“We’re at a rebuild status as a team,” said Mark Klemen, 40, of Beaver County. “No matter who you are — Steeler hater, or fan — [the team is] one of the best franchises around. We’re in a build-up process, and news like this is almost devastating.”

“Honestly, when I first heard it, I kind of thought it was fake news,” Klemen continued. “No matter what, it’s sad.”

 

Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac. The Post-Gazette’s Jesse Bunch and Pennlive.com contributed to this report. 

First Published: April 9, 2022, 3:38 p.m.

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