Dwayne Haskins Reportedly Was Drunk Before Fatal Accident

Dwayne Haskins, 24, the backup Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and a former standout at Ohio State, was heavily intoxicated when he was struck and killed by a truck on a Florida highway in April, according to multiple reports of a toxicology examination released by the medical examiner’s office in Broward County, Fla., on Monday.

In two samples, Haskins had a blood-alcohol concentration of .20 percent and .24 percent at the time of his autopsy, according to multiple reports, more than double Florida’s legal limit of .08 percent. Ketamine, a sedative that is also taken as a recreational hallucinogenic, was also found in Haskins’s system, according to the report.

Representatives from the medical examiner’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Through an attorney, Haskins’s wife, Kalabrya, in a statement Monday, asked for patience and privacy.

“On behalf of Dwayne’s wife, his family, and his memory, and on behalf of the truth, we respectfully request and pray for privacy, for patience, and for the public to withhold any judgment during this period while the law enforcement authorities continue to investigate and conduct their important work,” the statement said.

Haskins’s agent, Cedric Saunders, declined to comment.

Alongside findings from the police investigation, also released Monday, the reports provide clarity to what led to the collision, which occurred around 6:37 a.m. on April 9 as Haskins attempted to cross a busy stretch of Interstate 595 in Fort Lauderdale on foot.

Haskins had been drinking “heavily” at a club the night before his death, according to reports, and a Steelers official told the medical examiner’s office that Haskins had gone to dinner that night and later to a nightclub with a friend or cousin. The two later separated after getting into a fight, according to reports. Haskins had been in South Florida training with teammates throughout the week.

Kalabrya Haskins told a 911 dispatcher on calls released in April that his car had run out of fuel and he had left the vehicle searching for gas. The report said Haskins died of blunt force trauma when he was hit by a dump truck after attempting to wave down vehicles on the shoulder of the highway. A second vehicle also made partial contact after it attempted to swerve around him, the report said.

A woman who had been traveling with Haskins was found by authorities inside the car after his death. It is unclear how she and Haskins knew each other, according to the report.

The Washington Commanders selected Haskins 15th overall in 2019, after he threw for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns in his only year as a starter at Ohio State. In 2018, he finished third in Heisman Trophy voting, behind Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, after leading Ohio State to a 13-1 record, including a win in the Rose Bowl against Washington. He completed 70 percent of his passes and, at 6-foot-3, was projected to have an N.F.L. future for his accuracy as a pocket passer.

But Haskins struggled in his first two N.F.L. seasons, winning three of his 13 starts in Washington while throwing 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and was benched in favor of Alex Smith. The Commanders released him before the end of the 2020 season because of his performance, and for multiple violations of Covid-19 protocols.

The Steelers signed Haskins in January 2021 as a backup, but he did not play in the regular season. In March, the Steelers re-signed him as a restricted free agent, and Haskins was expected to compete for the starting job with Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky in training camp.