Life is a crazy roller coaster with tons of bumps, twists, and turns. Some of these twists and turns are unexpected and may shock the world. Unfortunately, death is one of those bumps. Whether it’s someone close to you, or even a celebrity, losing someone you care about is one of the worst things people have to go through. When a famous person loses their life, the world tends to pause and collectively remember the life this person lived and how they affected their life.

On April 9, 2022 the sports world took a pause for Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Dwayne Haskins who lost his life after being hit by a dump truck while crossing the street in South Florida. Haskins was just 24 years old, with a bright future ahead of him.

Dwayne Haskins Jr. was a Quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers with a bright future ahead of him. Haskins had a rough start to his NFL career but had a Heisman caliber career at Ohio State University. He led the buckeyes to a 13-1 overall record and a win in the Rose Bowl against Washington University. The young man was drafted 13th overall to the Washington Commanders and was later traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Any coach he ever had did nothing but praise him. He’s been the leader on and off the field that all teams like to have in a player. His work ethic and leadership mentality has always been a thing for Haskins. Ever since he played Pop Warner he was the guy that everyone looked up to. In an article by ESPN’s John Keim, he got the chance to interview former NFL cornerback Shawn Springs who had nothing bad to say about the late QB. He stated, “He would ask me what Tom Brady was like and, ‘How do I have to work?’ He would soak it all up, ‘Yep, okay, I get it, okay, next lesson.” He was that guy that would work until he physically couldn’t anymore, which all of his teammates admired.

Haskins was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in late January 2021 and quickly became a part of the organization. According to the Pittsburgh Steelers website, after hearing about the loss of his quarterback, Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated, “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.” The passing of Haskins will have a place in everyone’s heart that got the chance to play with and coach him.

Unfortunately life’s rollercoaster ended in a horrible way for Haskins. He was driving on the interstate in South Florida and ran out of gas. He called his wife Kalabrya, telling her that he had run out of gas and was crossing the road to get some. Kalabrya told Dwayne to call her when he got the gas and made it back to his car but she didn’t hear from him. She kept calling him over and over but with no answer. She then called 911 to report what her husband had told her and the 911 responder gave her some unfortunate news.

The responder received calls about a man hit by a driver on the same interstate as Haskins was in and she informed Kalabrya about this. At that moment, she knew her husband was that man. There is no way to sugar coat death, but it is truly heartbreaking that Ms. Haskins had to hear about her husband’s death like this.

The sports community was truly amazing and supportive about Haskins’ death. Numerous athletes, coaches and friends poured out their grievances for the death of a true friend. Ohio State Quarterback CJ Stroud even wore a Haskins #7 practice jersey with his nickname “Simba” written on his wrist tape during the OSU Spring Game. Kalabrya was grateful for the comments about her late husband. She said, “I want to thank everyone for their continuous outpour of kindness and love for my husband during this extremely difficult time,” This shows how much the sports community cares about Dwayne and mourns the pain of a lost athlete.

Life is truly a wicked roller coaster. And unfortunately for everyone, we never know when this roller coaster will end. Dwayne Haskins life was just getting started before it was taken away.