Adam Schefter has apologized for how he insensitively broke the news of Dwayne Haskins’ death, and paid tribute to the late quarterback.
“It was insensitive,” Schefter said on his podcast on Monday. “It was a mistake. And I can assure you it was not my intention.
“I wish I could have that tweet back. The focus should have been on Dwayne — who he was as a person, a husband, a friend and so much more. I wanted to apologize to Dwayne’s family, his friends, the players in the NFL and offer my condolences to everyone close to Dwayne.”
On Saturday, when breaking the news that Haskins had died after being struck by a dump truck on a highway in South Florida, Schefter’s tweet discussed the quarterback’s professional struggles.
“Dwayne Haskins, a standout at Ohio State before struggling to catch on with Washington and Pittsburgh in the NFL, 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,” read Schefter’s original, since-deleted tweet.
In addition to apologizing, Schefter retracted his original tone, saying that Haskins had indeed been working diligently to turn his professional career around.
“And in the way I failed Saturday,” Schefter continued on his podcast. “I wanted to turn people’s attention to make sure that Dwayne is remembered properly. After his outstanding career at Ohio State, which led him to become a first round draft pick, most recently Dwayne appreciated the opportunity that the Steelers had given him. And he was responding to it.
“Every day when he left practice, he would bump fists with head coach Mike Tomlin, [former] general manager Kevin Colbert and team president Art Rooney — which was his way of showing that he was grateful to be a member of the organization.”
Schefter continued to praise Haskins’ work ethic within the Steelers organization, and commitment to community service work.
“Dwayne Haskins was beloved by his teammates in the NFL community, as the outpouring of support from over the weekend showed,” Schefter said. “He was beloved because of his smile, his attitude, his work ethic, his growth and the man he had turned himself into. His was a life taken too young.”
