After being hammered for his initial tweet regarding the untimely death of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, and rightfully so, ESPN’s Adam Schefter offered an apology to Haskins’ friends and family Monday.
Schefter was the first to report on Haskins’ tragic death, but his initial tweet was distasteful due to the framing of the post.
The ESPN NFL reporter was justifiably criticized for his quickly-deleted post by fans, members of the media and NFL players Saturday. After two days of silence, Schefter went on his podcast, “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” and addressed it.
“First, I wanted to address the death of Dwayne Haskins and the tweet that I posted this weekend,” Schefter said on his podcast. “It was insensitive. 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. I want to apologize to Dwayne’s family, his friends, the 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 Dwayne is remembered properly.”
Schefter’s tweet Saturday was one of the many recent flubs for the ESPN insider. In response to Schefter’s initial tweet, fans and media members shared their tributes to Haskins celebrating his iconic moments. Schefter tried to do the same.
“He (Haskins) 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,” Schefter continued. “Dwayne Haskins was beloved by his teammates and the NFL community, as the outpouring of support over the weekend showed.
“He was beloved because of his smile, his attitude, his work ethic, his growth and the man he turned himself into. His was a life taken too young. He was 24 years old, a month shy of his 25th birthday. This is the Dwayne Haskins that deserves to be remembered.”
