Continuing to Remember Dwayne Haskins

Yinzer Crazy Contributor Adam Lovelace

Football is a beautiful game. For the fans and for the players. It provides moments of awe-inspiring displays of physical superiority mixed with moments of sheer will to compete and to win. Football is so beautiful that we can often be distracted from the fact that it simply is, just a game. 

As fans and those who cover the sport, we can get lost in the logistics of this beautiful game. We often become fixated on how our individual teams will improve in the offseason. We forget that under the helmets and pads exists a human, whose mortality is as real as ours. 

Athletes are like superheroes to some. They can do things that we just can’t, and they often leave us in awe of their talents. Too often we forget that an athlete’s life is just as fragile as our own. All too often, it takes tragedy to break use from this daze, and allow us to realize the humanity of the athletes we admire.

Football doesn’t really seem too important following the passing of Dwayne Haskins. Tragedy that broke us from the fixation of football. It is hard to put words to the loss of Haskins. The outpouring of emotion from his current and former teammates tells us that Haskins made a significant positive impact on all those he met. 

To paraphrase some of those sentiments, Haskins was a beam of positivity with an infectious smile, and an outgoing personality that brought joy to those in his life. While there aren’t many words to describe his passing, one must be impactful. Haskins seemed to impact those he met in the best ways. Chase Claypool offered the rawest reaction to Haskins’ passing, and it speaks volumes to Haskins’ impact on him.

I never personally met Haskins, but I was able to see him from a distance outside of Heinz Field after the Steelers week 15 victory over the Titans. Fans crowded him, and he took the time to stand in the Pittsburgh cold, and sign as many jerseys, footballs, and hats as he could, smiling all the while. From a distance, it spoke volumes to me about his character.

Pundits are going to continue to talk about the future of the Steelers quarterback room after Haskins passing, and it's okay. They should. It's their job. Eventually we all will. You are even going to see discussion of the “loss of potential”, regarding his passing. People will discuss their excitement on the athlete that Haskins could have been.

What is more important is the man Haskins was going to be. The potential Haskins showed as a football player is immaterial. The potential that really matters, was his potential as a friend, a husband, and a father. His potential to impact even more than he already had. 

As Steelers fans, we pride ourselves on being a part of Steelers Nation, a part of the family. In times like these, that notion of family is most important. Fans have donated money to the Haskins' family, and have cleared out his online clothing brand. I would also encourage fans to take the time to remember, that the athletes they love, are human beings in the same ways they are. 

Once a Steeler, always a Steeler. Family. Rest in peace Dwayne Haskins.