Matt Mathias

Sports Editor

mcm5909@psu.edu

 This past Saturday, Dwayne Haskins, a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers was struck by a dump truck while jogging on a South Florida highway and passed away. The 24-year-old from Ohio State had great aspirations for his NFL career and was looking for a fresh start in Pittsburgh. Following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, competition was afoot between the remaining quarterbacks in Pittsburgh being Mason Rudolph and newly signed Mitch Trubisky.

“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in an official team 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.”

Haskins was in South Florida at the time training with his fellow teammates and preparing for the upcoming season. Haskins came into the NFL during the 2019 draft where he was selected with the fifteenth overall pick by the Washington Commanders. He didn’t quite succeed with the team there and had some growing to do as he moved forward in his career by signing with the steelers in 2021. Haskins started 16 games over the course of two seasons with Washington.

“We are devastated to hear the news of the tragic passing of Dwayne Haskins Jr.,” Washington’s Daniel and Tanya Snyder announced on Saturday. “He was a young man with a tremendous amount of potential who had an infectious personality. To say we are heartbroken is an understatement. Our hearts and prayers are with the members of Dwayne’s family and all of those who knew and loved him.”

Roethlisberger tweeted out his comments on the tragedy remembering Haskins by saying, “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. He came to work everyday with a smile on his face and energy and love in his heart. Wish we had more time together on this earth, but I will cherish the time and laughs we had.”

Haskins found his greatest success in college as he beat out current Cincinnati Bengals starter Joe Burrow for the starting quarterback job with Ohio State at the time. During this season, Haskins broke several records with a stellar passing year. He set the Big Ten’s single-season records for passing yards with 4,831, touchdown passes with 50, and total offensive yards with 4,938 to go along side the 28 school records that he set with Ohio State, per ESPN’s records. He would go on to become a Heisman Trophy finalist during that year.

Ohio State itself also released a statement. “The Ohio State Department of Athletics is terribly saddened to learn of the death of Dwayne Haskins Saturday morning,” the announcement read. “We are thinking of the entire Haskins family during this most difficult time. Our prayers are with the family, and with his current and former teammates, coaches, friends and relatives.”