Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was struck by a truck in South Florida Saturday morning and killed. He was 24 years old.
According to the Miami Herald, the incident occurred at 6:37 a.m. on I-595 between Interstate 95 north and south. Per the paper, a 24-year-old pedestrian was hit by a dump truck. An official police report is not yet available.
Haskins was apparently driving in his car on I-595 headed to the airport to return to Pittsburgh and got out of his vehicle and attempted to cross the lane when he was struck by the truck heading westbound.
Florida Highway Patrol is working a fatal vehicle vs pedestrian crash on westbound I-595 at I-95. Westbound lanes of I-595 will remain closed during this investigation. All traffic is being diverted to southbound I-95. pic.twitter.com/QkbeA0ksvg
— FHP West Palm Beach (@FHPPalmBeach) April 9, 2022
Haskins, Washington's 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, was released after the 2020 season and joined the Steelers. He spent 2021 as their third quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph and was expected to compete for a job with the team again in 2022, ostensibly behind newcomer Mitch Trubisky and Rudolph.
Haskins was in Boca Raton, Fla., working out with Trubisky and several other skill-position players on the Steelers' roster that Trubisky had invited in an attempt to get to know everyone better.
"I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins," Mike Tomlin said in a written statement released by the team. "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."
Haskins had a stellar season at Ohio State as a junior after beating out Joe Burrow for the starting job and prompting Burrow to transfer to LSU. Haskins threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 50 touchdown that season. But he struggled when thrown into the lineup as a rookie in Washington, winning two of his seven starts that season while throwing seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
The following year, Haskins started out 1-5 with five touchdowns and seven interceptions, then ran afoul of head coach Ron Rivera and was fined for breaking COVID-19 protocols, among other infractions, eventually leading to his release.
The Steelers signed him as a low-risk option to potentially replace Roethlisberger. Haskins competed with Rudolph last preseason for the No. 2 job behind Roethlisberger, eventually settling into the No. 3 spot.
Haskins was a constant post-practice participant for the Steelers last season, often throwing with former Washington teammate Steven Sims after practice.
With Roethlisberger having retired at the conclusion of the 2021 season, the Steelers tendered Haskins an offer as a restricted free agent, bringing him back once again to compete with Trubisky, who was signed as a free agent, and Rudolph on their depth chart.
"We're excited to see what Dwayne can provide, either from competition, or maybe he evolves as a starter," Kevin Colbert said earlier this year.
In 16 career games, including 13 starts, Haskins completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,804 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Haskins married the former Kalabrya Gondrezick last year.
The tragedy involving someone being struck by a vehicle and killed is the second involving a Steelers player in less than a year. Last June, the brother of defensive end Stephon Tuitt, Richard Bartlett, was struck and killed in suburban Atlanta in a hit-and-run incident. The driver of that vehicle has still not been found.
