Adam Schefter apologizes for ‘insensitive’ Dwayne Haskins tweet originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter apologized on Monday for how he referred to Dwayne Haskins in breaking the news of the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’s tragic death.
Schefter announced on Saturday that Haskins had died in a since-deleted tweet that read: “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.”
Schefter tweeted a rephrased version of the announcement over an hour later, this time referring to Haskins as “a standout at Ohio State before becoming Washington’s first-round pick and playing in Pittsburgh.”
“It was insensitive, it was a mistake and I can assure you it is not my intention. I wish I could have that tweet back,” Schefter said on “The Adam Schefter Podcast.”
“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. And, in the way I failed Saturday, I wanted to turn people’s attention to make sure that Dwayne is remembered properly.”
Schefter then detailed how fond the Steelers organization was of Haskins, how hard he had been working to improve and how he immersed himself in the Pittsburgh community.
An apology and a tribute to Dwayne Haskins. pic.twitter.com/QxjShC4ZYu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 11, 2022
The NFL insider received a ton of backlash on social media for highlighting Haskins’ NFL struggles in the original tweet, including from Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Haskins, 24, was hit and killed by a dump truck while walking on a South Florida highway early Saturday morning.
