After getting called out over the weekend for his initial tweet reporting Dwayne Haskins’ death, ESPN’s Adam Schefter apologized on Monday afternoon.
Schefter tweeted a lengthy clip from his podcast in which he apologized for including that Haskins “struggled” after entering the NFL in his tweet on Saturday morning. Schefter first reported that the former Ohio State star had been hit by a truck and killed one month shy of his 25th birthday.
“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,” Schefter said. “I wanted to apologize to Dwayne’s family, his friends, the players in the National Football League and anybody close to Dwayne.”
An apology and a tribute to Dwayne Haskins. pic.twitter.com/QxjShC4ZYu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 11, 2022
Schefter, who has had issues in the past with awkward or insensitive framing in his tweets, was rightfully taken to task on social media. He did not issue a statement on the matter until today.
Some people are giving Schefter credit for his mea culpa, while others are taking more cynical approaches to it.
Schefty finally apologizes for his tweet about Dwayne Haskins https://t.co/sCnZEBunpj
— Scarlet & Game (@ScarletAndGame) April 11, 2022
This is what happens when you’re more concerned about being first versus being compassionate and considerate. Too little, too late for me @AdamSchefter. This would’ve been better received right out of the gates. https://t.co/vlhI67xDvj
— Matt Brubaker (@MattBru3) April 11, 2022
This doesn’t make what he said OK. I do appreciate this sentiment though. In a league obsessed with instant production, it was easy to say Dwayne “struggled.” This clip speaks on what a huge success #3 was for his work to be the best he could be for Pittsburgh and himself. RIP 3. https://t.co/HMgOa19QD8
— Clamps Sutton (@clamps_sutton) April 11, 2022
@AdamSchefter apologizes for his statement on Dwayne Haskins over the weekend. Admitting his tweet was insensitive, Schefter provides a sincere apology. Take a listen, Is this enough to forgive the comment he made? #adamschefter https://t.co/QJOwwnXyT8
— Belly Up Football 🏈 (@BellyUpFootball) April 11, 2022
This sounds so scripted it’s sad. Be better. https://t.co/KvUffacnMO
— Alex Harden (@MrAlexHarden) April 11, 2022
A lot of you won’t forgive him or find this apology genuine and that’s fine- but this apology was well-written and I believe him. https://t.co/fwwX8zZnSy
— Tony Hite (@TonyHiteNFL) April 11, 2022
I’m team forgiveness, especially when someone asks for it. Good on Adam for putting in the effort and taking the time to give this really nice apology and tribute to Dwayne Haskins. This is exactly how he should be remembered. https://t.co/vTp5yqc38B
— Easton Freeze (@eastonfreeze) April 11, 2022
Twitter hates all apologies so I’m sure this won’t go over well.
But this is a very good apology and a touching tribute. Well done. https://t.co/Ar7I3zlkMg
— Justin Fried (@JustinTFried) April 11, 2022
Plugging your pod…. https://t.co/cbc2Z20Lcy
— Seth (@GreatScott_26) April 11, 2022
Adam Schefter delivers a lengthy apology after his initial tweet on the tragic death of Dwayne Haskins. https://t.co/DbrJI73Lpt
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) April 11, 2022
Couldn’t just tweet it. Had to wait multiple days until he could use his apology to get people to listen to his podcast. https://t.co/6XLKD0AWeX
— Kacy Sager (@THESagerbomb) April 11, 2022
Overall, the anecdotes Schefter shared about Haskins are both wonderful and heartbreaking. The most important thing to remember in all this is that it’s tragic that a young man lost his life.
As for Schefter using his podcast like this, well, all the ads in the video are a little cringeworthy, but its also understandable why he chose this medium for his apology. A tweet would have been too impersonal, and it’s unlikely that he could have had this much television airtime on ESPN to do it.
It was likely either write a letter or release it in this manner.
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