Former Washington Commanders quarterback Dwayne Haskins tragically passed away on Saturday, April 9, 2022, after being struck by a car.
Absolutely devastating news reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN today as current Pittsburgh Steelers and former Washington Commanders quarterback Dwayne Haskins was struck by a car and killed on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
Dwayne Haskins was training in South Florida with other Steelers QBs, RBs and WRs. He was killed this morning in South Florida when he got hit by a vehicle. Tragic….
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2022
Dwayne Haskins, a standout at Ohio State before becoming Washington’s first-round pick and playing in Pittsburgh, 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.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2022
Haskins was Washington’s first-round pick (15th overall) back in 2019. Seen as a raw talent, many believed him to be one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in that draft. His time in the Nation’s Capitol was pretty short, sadly.
Haskins didn’t play much his rookie year, appearing in nine games. In year two, Haskins appeared in just seven games. During those two years, fans experienced some highs and lows with him. And the fanbase seemed pretty split on the QB. Then again, Washington fans are destined to never agree when it comes to a QB.
There were some issues that led to the Commanders cutting ties with Haskins. We aren’t going to get into them here, because that’s not what this article is about. And he was soon picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent all of 2021 on the bench watching veteran Ben Roethlisberger.
We also learned about the difficult life of Haskins. Things like the domestic abuse he was dealing with came to light. It was one of those situations where you realize, everyone is facing a battle and everyone has demons. Sure, it’s easy to judge someone when you only know the superficial things about them. But people are layered.
Dwayne Haskins was a layered person. He was going into 2022 as a backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Still just 24 though (would turn 25 on May 3), there was plenty of time to grow. His career was far from over. Maybe he’d earn that starting spot sometime during the season. Or would go on to another team and figure it out there.
From all the reporters that spoke to him, it seems like Haskins was an incredibly nice young man. And you don’t hear anything bad about him coming from any of his former or current teammates either. He was training with teammates in South Florida when he was killed. Once again showing a willingness to work hard to improve and be better.
Dwayne Haskins was a former first-round pick for the Washington Commanders. He started some games for them and brought a lot of hope to the fans at one point. Then he went on to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But most importantly, he was a young man. A young man with family and friends who loved him.
Let’s try to remember that from now on when anyone bashes a player. These are still people with lives. Lives that can tragically be taken at any moment. We don’t know what they are dealing with. Dwayne Haskins’s career is hardly the point anymore. The world lost a great person today.
Terrible and disturbing news to start the weekend.