Getty FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS -Jakobi Meyers of the New England Patriots looks on
T
he NFL world woke up to the tragic death of 24-year-old Dwayne Haskins on Saturday morning. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was one of the first to report the news that came via the quarterback’s agent but the analyst had to delete his original tweet after receiving immense blowback.
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Haskins was training in Florida with his fellow Pittsburgh Steelers teammates. The quarterback was killed when he was hit by a dump truck while walking on a South Florida highway on Saturday morning. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
It was a tragic loss for not just Haskins’ friends and family but the entire football world. He was just a month away from his 25th birthday.
“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “He quickly became 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.”
In one of his original tweets, Schefter touched on Haskins career describing him as a “standout at Ohio State before struggling to catch on with Washington and Pittsburgh.” Haskins was selected 15th overall by the Washington Commanders in the 2019 draft.
The wording of the tweet drew ire from players across the NFL, including fellow Ohio State alumni Cardale Jones
How about “ Dwayne Haskins, son, husband, buckeye brother, friend, beloved teammate has passed away” TF his career ups and downs have to do with him unfortunately losing his life🤦🏾♂️ STFU! Let his family & friends grieve instead of throwing shade. Praying for the Haskins family!!
Schefter ended up replacing his original tweet and focusing on the positives of Haskins’ NFL career and utilizing better verbiage.
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.
Jakobi Meyers Speaks Out
Jones was far from the last NFL player to speak out about the poorly worded tweet. New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers let his thoughts on Schefter be known to the world.
Adam Schefter a real weirdo
Joe Haden was also another player who spoke out about how Schefter covered the tragic news.
Not a First for Schefter
Unfortunately, being in a situation like this isn’t a first for Schefter. The ESPN analyst came under fire for allowing then Washington Commanders president Bruce Allen to edit a story he was writing.
The Los Angeles Times reported that in 2011, Schefter sent Allen the draft of an unpublished story that was published later the same day on ESPN.com.
“Please let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked,” Schefter wrote. “Thanks, Mr. Editor, for that and the trust. Plan to file this to espn about 6 am ….”
Schefter ended up releasing a statement saying that he took the “rare step of sending the full story in advance because of the complex nature of the collective bargaining talks.”
“In no way did I, or would I, cede editorial control or hand over final say about a story to anyone, ever,” he added.
Statement from Adam Schefter
Schefter also mentioned that looking back he shouldn’t have sent the full story and that it was “a step too far.”