WASHINGTON — The family of Dwayne Haskins Jr. tells WUSA9 that they will have multiple services to honor the memory of the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback who died on Saturday.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Haskins, a former Washington Commanders quarterback, was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 early Saturday morning while there was oncoming traffic. He was hit by a dump truck and pronounced dead on the scene. Haskins was only 24 years old.
Haskins was born on May 3, 1997, at Saint Peter's Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. He attended grade school in Highland Park and North Brunswick before moving to Potomac, Maryland.
"We have had such an overwhelming outpouring of love for our son since the news broke of our loss," says Tamara and Dwayne Haskins, Sr., parents of Haskins. "Anyone who knew Dwayne knows he worked exceptionally hard to achieve such a high level of success at such a young age. He was touched by so many people on his journey to being a standout athlete and we are grateful to all of them. This pain is unimaginable and we appreciate everyone who shares in our heartbreak."
In order to share their son's memory with family, coaches, teammates and childhood friends, the parents of Haskins will hold multiple services. Funeral services in New Jersey, where Haskins was born and raised until high school, will take place Saturday, April 23 from noon to 3 p.m. at Christ Church in Rockaway Township, New Jersey.
The family is also planning a memorial service for Sunday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland where Haskins attended high school.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will also have a funeral on April 22, at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pittsburgh, PA. However, Haskins' parents have stated they will not be attending.
“We have never met or spoken to the wife and we didn’t want our son’s funeral service to be the place we met her for the first time," they said in a joint statement.
Haskins was a standout high school athlete at Bullis School. On Monday, the school retired his No. 7 jersey. Haskins originally committed to play college ball at the University of Maryland before deciding to play for Ohio State University. Haskins was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2018.
In 2019, Haskins was Washington's first-round pick in the NFL draft, selected 15th overall. After being released by Washington in 2020, Haskins signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Haskins was with his Steelers teammates — including fellow quarterback Mitch Trubisky, running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth — in South Florida, training for the upcoming season when he died.
