ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter has apologized for a callous tweet about the tragic death of Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Schefter, reporting on Saturday after Haskins was fatally struck by a truck in Florida, said the quarterback was "a standout at Ohio State before struggling to latch on with Washington and Pittsburgh in the NFL."
The tweet was met with pushback from countless users, including some of Haskins' former teammates, before it was later deleted without explanation.
On Monday, two days after the fateful post, Schefter took several minutes to offer up his mea culpa.
"It was insensitive, it was a mistake, and I can assure you it was not my intention," Schefter said. "I wish I could have that tweet back. The focus should have been on Dwayne -- who he was as a person, a husband, a friend, and so much more. I wanted to apologize to Dwayne's family, his friends, and players in the NFL, and offer my condolences to everybody close to Dwayne.
"And in the way I failed Saturday, I wanted to turn people's attention to make sure Dwayne is remembered properly. After his outstanding career at Ohio State, which led him to become a first-round draft pick, most recently Dwayne appreciated the opportunity that the Steelers had given him, and he was responding to it. Every day when he left practice, he would bump fists with head coach Mike Tomlin, with general manager Kevin Colbert, and team president Art Rooney -- which was his way of showing that he was grateful to be a part of the organization. They grew incredibly fond of him, and there was a mutual respect and appreciation. Dwayne loved living in Pittsburgh -- he adopted it as his home and rarely left. He was in the Steelers' training facility every day after this season ended, working to make himself better, to give himself a chance to compete for the team's starting quarterback job. There were those in the organization who were convinced that he was on his way to doing it, and that his best days were ahead of him. ..."
The longtime NFL insider also touted Haskins' charitable work in the Steel City -- sometimes without the Steelers asking or even knowing he was doing it -- and how he was beloved by many players around the league for his warm and charming demeanor.
Schefter was the topic of countless critical think pieces and op-eds in recent days, after he was one of at least a couple prominent voices whose Haskins remembrance was off the mark.
The NFL's preeminent scoop-getter was even reported to have lost several thousand Twitter followers in the wake of the incident.
The Haskins apology marks at least the second high-profile apology Schefter in the past month, after he clarified his unfortunate framing in a tweet about Deshaun Watson after a grand jury declined to indict him on allegations of sexual misconduct.
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