Dwayne Haskins: ESPN insider Adam Schefter apologizes for 'insensitive' tweet

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter was first to report Saturday's death of Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, and along the way caught some blowback on Twitter for saying Haskins was "struggling to catch on" in the NFL.

Schefter deleted the tweet, and on Monday followed up with an apology on his podcast.

"It was insensitive," Schefter said. "It was a mistake, and I can assure you it was not my intention. I wish I could have that tweet back. The focus should have been on Dwayne, who he was as a person, a husband, a friend, and so much more."

Schefter was first to report Haskins' death after the 24-year-old was struck by a dump truck on a highway in South Florida. It's still not known why he was trying to cross the highway.

After a record-setting season as a starter at Ohio State, Washington selected Haskins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played for the Commanders for two seasons, and was picked up by the Steelers in January 2021. He did not appear in any regular season games last season for Pittsburgh.

Following Ben Roethlisberger's retirement, it looked like Haskins would compete with fellow backup Mason Rudolph for the starting QB job. Pittsburgh then picked up free agent Mitch Trubisky last month.

"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," Schefter continued.

Listen to Schefter's full apology in the tweet below:

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• Adam Schefter