(CNN/WSVN) – Dwayne Haskins, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a finalist in Ohio State’s 2018 Heisman Trophy, was struck by a dump truck and killed Saturday morning while attempting to walk across a freeway in South Florida, police said With.
Haskins, who re-signed with the Steelers in March, having served as a reserve the previous season, he was 24.
Haskins was trying to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Broward County when the dump truck hit him, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The incident was reported just after 6:30 a.m., the patrol said.
He had been “walking on (the freeway) for reasons unknown,” the patrol said in a news release.
Details of what led to the incident were not immediately available. For the past few days, Haskins has been in South Florida training with some Steelers teammates, as captured in Instagram stories of Haskins and Steelers running back Najee Harris.
Sunday night, a Florida Atlantic University official said Haskins was somewhere on the Boca Raton campus Thursday to practice with other NFL players. It is one of the last known places he visited before the crash.
The FAU official said the training was not organized by the school.
The news of Haskins’ death sparked expressions of shock across the league and beyond.
“I am devastated and speechless at the unfortunate death of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement released by the team.
“Upon arriving in Pittsburgh, he quickly became part of our Steelers family and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community,” Tomlin’s statement said. “Dwayne was a great teammate but even more of a great friend to so many. I’m really heartbroken.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Kalabrya and his entire family at this difficult time.”
“I feel like I can be a starter in this league”
Haskins, a third-string quarterback last season behind now-retired longtime Steeler Ben Roethlisberger and backup Mason Rudolph who signed with the Steelers for a year last month, is nearing his fourth year in the NFL.
The upcoming season would see Haskins compete with Rudolph and new Steelers acquisition Mitchell Trubisky for positions on the depth chart.
“I feel like I can be a starter in this league. That’s why I got drafted,” Haskins said in January, according to Steelers.com. “I definitely think I have the talent for it. I just haven’t assembled everything yet. And that’s what I need to do this offseason to put myself in a position to play.
Haskins rose to prominence in Ohio State, where in 2018 as a redshirt sophomore, he set OSU and Big Ten Conference records including single-season passing yards (4,831), touchdown passes (50), and total offensive yards (4,939) .
He came third in voting for this season’s Heisman Trophy, awarded to college football’s greatest player.
Washington selected Haskins as the 15th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Haskins played 16 games in two seasons for Washington — starting 13 times — before the team released him in December 2020 near the end of his second season.
The Steelers picked him up in January 2021 even though he didn’t play in a regular season game for Pittsburgh.
Röthlisberger continued Twitter Though he only knew Haskins briefly, he knew him as “a young man who never seemed to have a bad day.”
“He came to work every day with a smile on his face and energy and love in his heart. I enjoyed his passion and love for the game and his desire to learn and be the best. We will miss his smile and zest for life!” said Roethlisberger. “I’ll say it again, just like I said it to your face, I still wish I could throw the ball like you,” he added.
“Absolutely heartbroken”
The Washington Commanders, Ohio State and other players expressed shock and condolences.
Steeler defensive tackle Cameron Heyward tweeted “Dwayne meant so much to so many people.”
“His smile was infectious and he was a guy to be with,” Hewyard wrote. “We are all shocked to have lost him. We’ll fucking miss him too. We lost you way too soon. Luckily I got to meet you. RIP DH.”
Haskins’ assistant Washington head coach Ron Rivera said Saturday he was “absolutely heartbroken” upon hearing of his former player’s death.
“Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him,” says Rivera statement reads. “This is a very sad time and honestly I am at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team when I say we will miss him dearly.”
Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool remembered Haskins’ selflessness in his last interaction with him.
“I shared your final moments with you and I can’t help but think about how selfless you were in those moments. You only cared about making sure everyone around you was okay and I can’t thank you enough for that. You are what I want to be,” Claypool tweeted.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said in a tweet The university community is “heartbroken”.
“The loss of Dwayne is beyond tragic and extremely difficult to process. For those who knew him better, he was much more than a great soccer player. He had a huge heart, an old soul and an infectious smile,” Day tweeted.
The Ohio State Athletics Department released a statement saying it was “terribly saddened to learn of the death of Dwayne Haskins on Saturday morning.”
“Our thoughts are with the entire Haskins family at this most difficult time. Our prayers are with the family and with his current and former teammates, coaches, friends and relatives,” the statement said.
In his 16 NFL career games in Washington, Haskins threw for 2,804 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
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