Adam Schefter: “First, I wanted to address the death of Dwayne Haskins and the tweet that I posted this weekend. It was insensitive, it was a mistake, and I can assure you it was not my intention. I wish I could have had that tweet back. 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, 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. After his outstanding career at Ohio State which led him to become a first-round draft pick, most recently Dwayne appreciated the opportunity that the Steelers had given him and he was responding to it. Every day when he left practice he would bump fists with head coach Mike Tomlin, with GM Kevin Colbert, and with team President Art Rooney, which was his way of showing that he was grateful to be a part of the organization. They grew incredibly fond of him and there was a mutual respect and appreciation. Dwayne loved living in Pittsburgh. He adopted it as his home and rarely left. He was in the Steelers’ training facility every day after this season ended working to make himself better, to give himself a chance to compete for the team’s starting quarterback job. There were some in the organization who were convinced he was on his way to doing it, and that his best days were ahead of him. Dwayne was with the Steelers’ quarterback coach Mike Sullivan every day watching film, and when he wasn’t taking steps there in the film room, he was in the weight room working out. He was making a difference not just on the field, but off it where he was known to be incredibly selfless. He was as active as any Steeler in the community, never saying ‘no’ to anything the team requested -- going to food drives around Thanksgiving with turkeys, and taking kids shopping for toys around Christmas. He did work in the community without the team asking, or even knowing he did it. He amerced himself in the community and he had become a part of it. Just a few weeks ago he went on a Steelers fan cruise, and by the end of it he was the most popular player on that cruise, and they all wanted him to come back. He was known for his smile, his kind heart, and his dreams, and sadly and tragically those were all snuffed out before they could become a reality.” (Full Apology in Video Above)
ESPN’s Adam Schefter officially apologized for a controversial tweet he made on Sunday in the wake of NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ tragic death that was deemed to be inappropriate and insensitive
In breaking the news of Haskins’ passing, Schefter, who has one of the biggest followings on any reporter in pro sports, tweeted: "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 would quickly delete the tweet after the immediate blowback it caused, with many Twitter users, including well-known active and retired NFL players, denouncing the tweet for the way it appeared to be casting Haskins in a negative light during a time when the entire football community was morning his shocking death.
Davante Adams, Dez Bryant, and Joe Haden were the most notable players to call out Schefter for the tweet in the hours following the breaking news.
Not only was Schefter’s deleted tweet going viral, but also podcast audio of NFL reporter Gil Brandt’s reaction to Haskins’ passing as well, as Brandt’s ‘he was a guy living to be dead’ remarks were met with mass outrage. Brandt would quickly issue an apology.
Check out the full statement from Schefter above.
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