A 24-year-old man tragically died over the weekend when a dump truck struck him on a highway in south Florida.
He was a son, a brother, a husband and friend to many. And he just happened to play quarterback in the NFL.
Those are the facts. And that is how everyone should remember Dwayne Haskins, whose life prematurely ended early Saturday morning.
But sadly, that’s not the lens through which many instinctively viewed the tragedy.
As at least two prominent members of the media rushed to pass judgment on Haskins’ playing career or lifestyle. As countless trolls did the same, and in some cases even made light of the situation, a disturbing truth came to light.
We as a society have reached a very ugly place where empathy is a foreign concept and where we refuse to view professional athletes as human beings.
That’s the only explanation as to why anyone’s gut reaction to the news surrounding Haskins would fall under anything other than sadness for him and sympathy for his family and friends.
This isn’t new. As colleague Mike Freeman so accurately put it over the weekend, the disturbing reactions displayed over the weekend served as a reminder that the NFL has long been in the business of dehumanizing players, particularly men of color.
But this goes beyond race. And it feels like we’re getting worse.
MORE: Gil Brandt’s comments about Dwayne Haskins a reminder of how NFL players are dehumanized
It’s not just the officials of the NFL and its teams who lose sight of the humanity of athletes. Sports fans of various races – driven by their thirst for entertainment or perhaps outright jealousy – choose to view athletes as nothing more than commodities intended for their enjoyment or financial gain. The calluses of entitlement have grown so thick that they think nothing of their despicable behavior.
That’s why Haskins’ rocky and short-lived career with the Washington Commanders, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2019, ranked among the first thoughts expressed by some this weekend.
That’s why sports reporters, analysts and fans so hurriedly slap labels of “bust” and “failure” on athletes who don’t live up to the expectations placed upon them.
That’s why fans heartlessly and disrespectfully rain down insults on sports figures during and after performances. Differentiating between humans and racehorses is too complicated a task. Pausing to place oneself in the shoes of another takes too much effort and necessitates a thought process too deep or broad.
The outcome of Haskins’ time in Washington proved disappointing to everyone involved – the quarterback, members of the organization and fans. The on-field struggles of a player still very much in the developmental stages of his career certainly were real. So, too, were a handful of off-field displays of immaturity. But none of those factors warrant the insensitivity displayed by some when news of Haskins’ death broke.
A closer look into the circumstances in which Haskins found himself thrust into a role for which he wasn’t ready, especially while surrounded by more dysfunction than adequate support, would reveal what long odds for success that he or any other quarterback would have faced in Washington.
Meanwhile, a brief amount of research into Haskins’ background would reveal that rather than some failed mechanism, he was a dreamer who spoke his adolescent aspirations of playing for Ohio State and Washington’s football team into existence.
Haskins wasn’t unlike any other 20-something still trying to navigate the real world and his profession. Sometimes setbacks precede growth.
Haskins was unashamed to acknowledge he didn’t have all of the answers when it came to cracking the NFL code, yet he was too determined to let disappointments and negativity dissuade him. So his quest for answers and growth took him to Pittsburgh, where the Steelers this offseason awarded him a second contract with expectations that he would compete for a starting job. The good displayed by Haskins, as both an athlete and person, prompted everyone from coach Mike Tomlin to Ben Roethlisberger to express their appreciation for his work ethic, potential, love for life and affinity for people.
Former coaches and teammates in Washington and opponents echoed similar feelings of fondness and grief.
Those who knew Haskins describe him as a genuine young man with a kind heart and intense love for his family especially, his sister, Tamia, who was four years younger than him.
“When I first heard the news, I couldn’t move because you just don’t believe it,” former Washington great and current team executive Doug Williams, one of Haskins’ mentors, told USA TODAY Sports. “The first thing I thought about, No. 1, was his little sister. Most people say his parents, but I thought about his sister, because I know how close he was with his sister. He sent her to college and everything. … I can’t imagine the devastation that she feels.
“Forget about football altogether. It ain’t about football. It’s about what happened to a young man and his family and how they’re going to suffer,” Williams continued. “Most people immediately went to what has he accomplished or what he did or didn’t do. But it’s not about that. This wasn’t about what he did or didn’t accomplish. This is about Dwayne Haskins. I can promise you, today his sister and parents don’t care about football. They care that they lost a loved one.”
The loss of life truly is the only thing that matters — not what Haskins did or didn’t do for your squad, fantasy team or sports bets.
Haskins’ premature death and the responses of those who knew him should serve as a reminder of the need to change the way we view professional athletes while also reconsidering our definitions of success.
We get so wrapped up in wins and losses that we often lose sight of the human element. The seemingly effortless heroics of Hall of Fame athletes cause many to view those who are less than “elite” as failures, when in fact, by simply reaching the level of professional athletics, these individuals have accomplished something that less than 1% of the total population has managed.
Whether an athlete reaches the pinnacle that is a championship or ends up riding the bench, those of us on the outside can’t lose sight of their humanity and right to respect.
Win or lose, athletes remain human beings. Sadly, far too many sports enthusiasts lose sight of this.
Haskins’ tragic death served as another reminder of the brevity of life, and the checkered response shamefully revealed how far from decency too many in society have veered, and how much re-learning we have to do about respect for others regardless of their on-field performances.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Responses to Dwayne Haskins’ death show ugly truths about sports fans