Adam Scheffer apologizes for how he broke the news Dwayne Haskins diespraised the late midfielder.
It was insensitive,” Shifter said in his podcast on Monday. “It was a mistake. I can assure you that it was not my intention.”
“I wish I could get this tweet back. The focus should have been on Dwayne – who he was as a person, husband, friend and so much more. I wanted to apologize to Dwayne’s family, friends, NFL players and my deepest condolences to all of Dwayne’s close associates.”
On Saturday, when news broke of Haskins’ death after colliding with a dump truck on a highway in South Florida, Shifter’s tweet discussed the career struggles the quarterback is facing.
“Dwayne Haskins, a senior in Ohio before struggling to catch up with Washington and Pittsburgh in the NFL, died this morning when he was hit by a car in South Florida, according to his agent Cedric Saunders. Haskins turned 25 on May 3,” Read Shifter’s original tweet, which has since been deleted.
In addition to apologizing, Shifter retracted his original tone, saying that Haskins was working hard to change the course of his career.
“And the way it failed on Saturday,” Shifter continued on his podcast. “I wanted to get people’s attention to make sure Dwayne is remembered correctly. After his distinguished career at Ohio State, which led to him becoming the first draft pick, Dwayne recently appreciated the opportunity given to him by the Steelers. And he was responding.
“Every day when he left training, he’d bump his fists with coach Mike Tomlin, [former] General Manager Kevin Colbert and Team Leader Art Rooney – which was his way of showing he was grateful to be a member of the organization.”
Shifter continued to pay tribute to Haskins’ work ethic within the Steelers organization, and his commitment to community service work.
“Dwayne Haskins was loved by his NFL teammates, as he showed an outpouring of support over the weekend,” said Shifter. “He was loved for his smile, demeanor, work ethic, growth and the man he transformed himself into. His life has been a mess.”
