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The tragic passing of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins early Saturday morning shook both the Steelers and NFL community alike. Players, coaches, fans, and organizations across the country have sent out their condolences for Haskins and his family.
Today has not only taught us a lesson about the fragility of life, but also a lesson in morality and human decency. A lesson that unfortunately has highlighted the shortcomings of pundits and commentators in sports media when it comes to handling news concerning athletes with care and respect.
Where there should have been a discourse in which we commemorate and celebrate the life of a young man who was taken from us too soon, we are now talking about idiotic comments made by certain members of the NFL media that chose to highlight topics about Haskins’ playing career that mean nothing in this moment.
The outpouring of love from not only Haskins’ Steelers teammates and coaches, but his peers from the Washington Commanders and Ohio State Buckeyes, is what we should pay attention to when we characterize and remember Dwayne Haskins.
Time and time again, we see in the media how athletes are treated not as human beings, but as mediums of entertainment, designed just for our enjoyment and entertainment on game day. Comments are made without accountability and a consideration of impact. Athletes are real people with feelings and emotions just like the rest of us, and there are times where that should be the main focus instead of it being on who’s going to get the story out first.
Dwayne Haskins was a son, a brother, a husband, and a man of service in the community.
He is survived by his father, Dwayne Haskins Sr., his mother, Tamara Haskins, his sister, Tamia Haskins, and his wife, Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins.
Dwayne Haskins’ sister, Tamia; mother, Tamara; and father, Dwayne Sr., watch him play in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 1, 2018, in Indianapolis (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
His family created the Haskins Family Foundation, which according to their website, has been serving communities from NJ to VA for over 30 years. They volunteer with “community-based organizations, churches, non-profits, and participating in service trips.”
The Haskins Family Foundation’s mission is to “Promote the goodwill of people by providing community outreach opportunities, inspiring community leadership, and offering self-improvement and financial literacy programming.”
Haskins also has supported the Wolf Trap Animal Rescue through the NFL’s “My cause, my cleats” campaign, as well as also being involved in the Haskins & Haskins Group, which is an organization that “provides worldwide first-class entertainment, special events, branding, & legacy building.”
We understand that playing professional sports alters athletes lives in ways that we don’t understand, they are held to a higher standard and are given a level of scrutiny larger than the average person is opened up to, whether it be fair or not. They are role models in the communities they serve and play for, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re still human beings.
The media needs to do better…we all could do better…it’s bigger than a 60-minute game on Sunday.
We here at SteelerNation offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Dwayne Haskins, and thank him for his level of professionalism and service to the Pittsburgh community in his time with the Steelers.
Rest In Peace.
Links to the Haskins Family Foundation, Haskins & Haskins Group, and Wolf Trap Animal Rescue found here:
Haskins Family Foundation
Haskins & Haskins Group
Wolf Trap Animal Rescue
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Today has not only taught us a lesson about the fragility of life, but also a lesson in morality and human decency. A lesson that unfortunately has highlighted the shortcomings of pundits and commentators in sports media when it comes to handling news concerning athletes with care and respect.
Where there should have been a discourse in which we commemorate and celebrate the life of a young man who was taken from us too soon, we are now talking about idiotic comments made by certain members of the NFL media that chose to highlight topics about Haskins’ playing career that mean nothing in this moment.
The outpouring of love from not only Haskins’ Steelers teammates and coaches, but his peers from the Washington Commanders and Ohio State Buckeyes, is what we should pay attention to when we characterize and remember Dwayne Haskins.
Time and time again, we see in the media how athletes are treated not as human beings, but as mediums of entertainment, designed just for our enjoyment and entertainment on game day. Comments are made without accountability and a consideration of impact. Athletes are real people with feelings and emotions just like the rest of us, and there are times where that should be the main focus instead of it being on who’s going to get the story out first.
Dwayne Haskins was more than a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Dwayne Haskins was a son, a brother, a husband, and a man of service in the community.
He is survived by his father, Dwayne Haskins Sr., his mother, Tamara Haskins, his sister, Tamia Haskins, and his wife, Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins.
Dwayne Haskins’ sister, Tamia; mother, Tamara; and father, Dwayne Sr., watch him play in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 1, 2018, in Indianapolis (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
His family created the Haskins Family Foundation, which according to their website, has been serving communities from NJ to VA for over 30 years. They volunteer with “community-based organizations, churches, non-profits, and participating in service trips.”
The Haskins Family Foundation’s mission is to “Promote the goodwill of people by providing community outreach opportunities, inspiring community leadership, and offering self-improvement and financial literacy programming.”
Haskins also has supported the Wolf Trap Animal Rescue through the NFL’s “My cause, my cleats” campaign, as well as also being involved in the Haskins & Haskins Group, which is an organization that “provides worldwide first-class entertainment, special events, branding, & legacy building.”
We understand that playing professional sports alters athletes lives in ways that we don’t understand, they are held to a higher standard and are given a level of scrutiny larger than the average person is opened up to, whether it be fair or not. They are role models in the communities they serve and play for, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re still human beings.
The media needs to do better…we all could do better…it’s bigger than a 60-minute game on Sunday.
We here at SteelerNation offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Dwayne Haskins, and thank him for his level of professionalism and service to the Pittsburgh community in his time with the Steelers.
Rest In Peace.
Links to the Haskins Family Foundation, Haskins & Haskins Group, and Wolf Trap Animal Rescue found here:
Haskins Family Foundation
Haskins & Haskins Group
Wolf Trap Animal Rescue
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
