By: Jacob Walsh

FLORDIA – Former Ohio State Buckeye, Washington Commander, and member of the Pittsburgh Steelers Dwayne Haskins, unfortunately, passed away on Saturday morning after being struck by a vehicle. Haskins was only 24 years old.

Florida Highway Patrol announced Haskins dead at the scene, stating that he was attempting to cross the highway through oncoming traffic. There is an open traffic homicide investigation for the matter. Haskins was in Florida training with Steelers teammates during the past few days.

Haskins was a Heisman Trophy finalist after an outstanding 2018 season with Ohio State. He was then selected 15th overall in the 2019 draft by the now Washington Commanders.

Haskins played two seasons in Washington before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, Haskins seemed to be in the running to compete for Pittsburgh’s starting job.

Here are some statements made from Haskins coaches and teammates:

“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins. 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.” (Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin)

“Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him. This is a very sad time and I am honestly at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team in saying he will be sorely missed. Our entire team is sending our heartfelt condolences and thoughts and prayers to the Haskins family at this time.” (Haskin’s former head coach Ron Rivera from Washington)

Steelers Teammate Chase Claypool was one of the players training with Haskins that morning and was hit hard by the news, breaking down in tears on a social media video. He also stated “I spent your final moments with you and I can’t help but think about how selfless you were in those moments. All you cared about was making sure that everyone around you was okay and I can’t thank you enough for that. You are what I strive to be.”

This is a very unfortunate loss and the sports world mourns for the Haskins family. Many sports teams posted statements in his honor and the Pittsburgh Penguins held a moment of silence prior to their game against the Washington Capitals.

Born in 1997, Haskins would have been 25 years old in May.

Information Provided by ESPN and The Associated Press.