As the news of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins' tragic death from being struck by a vehicle sent shock waves across the NFL community on Saturday, former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Reed provided an appropriate take on perception and reality.
Haskins had been attempting to revive a less-than-remarkable career after a fall from grace with the Washington Football Team, which plucked him from Ohio State with the 15th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The New Jersey native was stripped of his captaincy and fined $40,000 late in the 2020 season after breaking COVID regulations for a second time by attending his girlfriend's birthday party without wearing a face mask. Although he started the team's next game, which was against the Carolina Panthers, he was benched in the fourth quarter of an eventual 20-13 loss.
When he was released the next day, Haskins became the object of ridicule by many as another draft bust who squandered an opportunity.
After spending all of last season as the Steelers' No. 3 quarterback, he was re-signed as a restricted free agent and promised a chance to compete with former Bills backup Mitchell Trubisky for a starting spot in 2022.
On his Instagram account, Reed urged his followers to follow the lead of Yje Athletic's Stephen Holder, who said Haskins' death served as "another reminder that we should pay attention to how we talk about athletes even when they fall short of expectations."
Added Reed in a comment: "Dear sports community, media, fans, everyone, When us as current and former athletes fall short of expectations…Remember we are all humans and it is just a game."
Haskins was teammates in Washington with two recently acquired Bills: Defensive tackle Tim Settle and quarterback Case Keenum. Both were devastated by the news.
Keenum posted a photo on Twitter of Haskins holding Keenum's child.
Settle posted three hearts broken in half.
Haskins was struck and killed by a dump truck while he was walking on I-595 near Davie, Fla. He was 24 years old.
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