FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Ryan Day, the Ohio State University football coach, discussed the sudden death in Broward County of the team’s former star quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
The 24-year-old was a Heisman finalist, a first-round NFL draft pick, and he was competing for starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Certainly it was a very difficult weekend for all of us. It’s hard to wrap your mind around something like this, especially when it happened so tragically to a young person, especially someone who had such a big heart,” Day said.
Haskins was hit by a dump truck and killed instantly just before 7 a.m. on Saturday morning while walking across the westbound lanes of Interstate 595. Florida Highway Patrol troopers responded after receiving the ″vehicle versus pedestrian on 595″ alert.
Haskins died near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. He was heading to the airport at the time of the crash, but FHP reported he was walking on the highway for “unknown reasons.” A witness who identified as The Asian Mai Show on YouTube shared a video showing troopers and a crew towing the dump truck away.
The news of the crash left teammates like Chase Claypool feeling devastated. “I love you brother,” he said on a video he shared on Twitter.
Florida Atlantic University confirmed Haskins and other NFL players were on their campus last week to train. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in part, ”I am devastated and at a loss for words. He was one of our hardest workers— a great teammate — I am truly heartbroken.”
At Ohio State, a memorial grows outside the Buckeye Stadium. It’s a testament to his impact on the university.
“He meant a lot to my family, meant a lot to this program and he’s going to be sorely missed,” Day said.