"Truly heartbroken" - Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin in shock following Dwayne Haskins' sudden death after being struck by car
The NFL was shocked when it was announced that former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins was struck and killed by a car in South Florida Saturday morning.
The former Buckeyes star was just 24. As details of Dwayne Haskins' death come to light, many are saddened and are mourning his death.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin put out a statement regarding Haskins' death:
"I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins," he said. "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."
Statement from Head Coach Mike Tomlin: https://t.co/hI5QaKzBUq
Reports are that Haskins was in Florida doing some offseason workouts. While he was a quarterback with the Buckeyes, he set numerous Big Ten records and finished third in the Heisman voting in 2018 before being drafted by the Washington Commanders, where he played for two years before moving on to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Haskins would have turned 25 next month. He seemed to have finally found a home and stability with the Steelers, and it seemed like things were looking up for him.
Now, the entire NFL community is devastated by his death.
Dwayne Haskins and other recent NFL tragdies
Haskins' death is a reminder that life is short. The NFL community seems to come together the most in times like these.
Last year, former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas passed away weeks before his birthday. Thomas died from a seizure stemming from an injury he suffered in a 2019 car accident.
Thomas was best known for catching the game-winning touchdown pass from Tim Tebow against the Steelers in the 2011 Wildcard Playoff game.
Still remember watching that catch and run against the Steelers in overtime in 2011 when Tim Tebow was quarterback. I couldn’t believe what I had witnessed from Demaryius Thomas that day and I can’t believe he’s gone now. Way too soon. twitter.com/AdamSchefter/s…
Players across the league like Tebow and former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who was close friends with Thomas, were devastated by the loss. He was 33, about to turn 34 on Christmas Day and had just retired from football.
Manning said this at the time of his former teammate and friend's passing:
"DT was a better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player," Manning said. "That tells you how good of a person he was. He treated my kids like they were his own. He was there for every teammate's charity event ... Absolutely devastated."
It is always sad when someone dies so tragically, but it seems that it hurts even more when they are young and full of life like Dwayne Haskins and Demaryius Thomas were.