The football community was shocked to learn that former Ohio State Buckeyes star quarterback, 2019 NFL first-round draft pick, and Pittsburgh Steelers backup signal-caller Dwayne Haskins tragically died Saturday morning at the age of 24 when he was reportedly struck by a dump truck in South Florida.
Surprise quickly turned to anger among individuals reacting to the news online, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, when ESPN personality Adam Schefter wrote in a since-deleted tweet: "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."
As Florio noted, Schefter shared an apology on Monday afternoon that he offered during the latest episode of "The Adam Schefter Podcast."
"It was insensitive," Schefter admitted about the tweet. "It was a mistake. And I can assure you is 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 National Football League, and offer my condolences to everybody close to Dwayne."
An apology and a tribute to Dwayne Haskins. pic.twitter.com/QxjShC4ZYu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 11, 2022
Florio correctly wrote that Schefter didn't explain why he waited until Monday afternoon to share an apology many thought should've been said and/or typed on Saturday. Ryan Clark, Schefter's ESPN colleague, said on Sunday that Schefter had "apologized multiple times" throughout the weekend:
He did… Without anyone telling him to reach out to me he did. I respect him for that. He was wrong. He admitted it. He also apologized multiple times. https://t.co/ttdG3741N7
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 10, 2022
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