“He was a guy that was living to be dead” - NFL HOFer gives insensitive take on Dwayne Haskins’ tragic death 

After Dwyane Haskins’ tragic passing, NFL Hall of Famer Gil Brandt shared his thoughts on the quarterback’s death in an interview.

Brandt, while speaking on NFL Radio, said that Haskins was someone who was living to be dead:

“You know, Dan, anytime anybody is killed or anybody dies. But he was a guy that was living to be dead, so to speak. You know, they told him don't, under any circumstances, leave school early. You just don't have the work habits. You don't have this. You don't have that. What did he do? Left school early. I always can remember this. We invited players to the draft. And he was one of the players we invited to the draft. And we were told, ‘No, we're gonna have our own party.’ His own party was a party at a bowling alley, charging 50 bucks to get into the bowling alley for his party. It was always something, you know. It's one of those things. ‘I’m never offside, but they keep calling me for offside.’ Just what it is. So, it's a tragic thing. Anytime anybody dies, it’s tragic.”

The HOFer concluded his comments by saying that, maybe, if the quarterback stayed in school longer, he wouldn’t have done silly things:

“And especially when you're 24 years old, and you got your whole life ahead of you. But, you know, maybe if he just stayed in school a year, he wouldn't do silly things. I mean, when you’re jogging on the highway on a road like that, that leaves you open ... The guy has two drinks, and he's just a little bit to the right side of the room and gets hit and killed. It's easy to happen.”

Brandt was the former vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1989. In 2018, he was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

What Happened to Dwyane Haskins?

Haskins with the Pittsburgh Steelers

He was hit by a dump truck while he was walking on a highway in South Florida. He was just 24 years old. The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed the accident on Interstate 595. Haskins was declared dead at the scene of the accident.

The quarterback was drafted by Washington in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

He threw for 2,804 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 16 games with the team. In 2021, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was in South Florida with other Steelers quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers at the time of his death.

In a statement, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said the following:

"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."

Thoughts and prayers are with Haskins' family and loved ones as they mourn his passing.