NFL player, Dwayne Haskins was drugged before he was fatally struck

The family of late Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins has initiated legal action against various individuals, businesses, and the state of Florida. They claimed that Haskins was drugged, robbed, and extorted prior to being fatally hit by a car. This happened when he was standing drunk on a highway after running out of fuel.

The lawsuit, which was recently filed in Fort Lauderdale, asserts that a man and three women robbed and drugged the former Ohio State player.  This happened at a Boca Raton hotel, an upscale golf driving range, a bar, and a nightclub in the hours preceding the April 9, 2022, incident. The specifics of the events are not provided in the lawsuit. When the incident happened, Haskins, a 24-year-old man was in South Florida for offseason workouts with his Steelers teammates.

The lawsuit was filed on the behalf of Dwayne Haskins’s spouse and parents. The driver and owner of the dump truck that collided with him are also cited in the lawsuit, with allegations of over-speeding, using worn-out tires and brakes, and carrying excessive weight. Furthermore, it says that the truck rented by Haskins had technical faults and ran out of gas.

The family alleges that the highway authority didn’t have proper maintenance laws, claiming that their lights are not properly maintained on the roads or no proper instructions about the speed limit are given on the highway.  Further construction work is also under process, along with the sign blockade on the highway which worsened the situation.

According to the family's attorney, Rick Ellsley, the lawsuit will provide the opportunity to obtain documents and interview individuals who were present with Haskins. This is a crucial aspect of "uncovering the complete truth about this tragedy," as Ellsley explained in a statement.

The lawyer also revealed many unanswered questions regarding the events that occurred in the hours leading up to Haskins' death. He stated that there is reason to believe that Haskins was specifically targeted and drugged as part of a blackmail and robbery scheme. Also, it resulted in the theft of Haskin’s expensive watch just prior to the fatal accident. However, Ellsley declined to provide additional details regarding the allegations made in the lawsuit.

The death report issued in May by the Broward Country Medical examiners Office claimed that a woman Haskins was with spoke to the investigators and said they had run out of fuel on Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale -Hollywood International Airport after the dawn. She further told that he went out in search of fuel.

Witnesses told the Florida Highway Patrol that Haskins was standing in the middle lane and was waving at the cars when he was hit by the truck and later by the SUV.  The report further stated that he died of blunt force trauma.

According to the autopsy of Haskin, his blood alcohol content was 0.20. That is 2.5 times greater than the normal range which is 0.08, the legal driving limit in the state.  

 According to the University of Davis, California and all other universities told that someone that weighs exactly like Haskins (104 kilograms) would have needed at least 10 drinks in an hour to reach that level before his death.  The strong painkiller ketamine and its metabolite norketamine were also found in his system. The drug is usually prescribed by doctors, but can also be abused recreationally by individuals. The report did not say whether the drug is prescribed to Haskins or not.

Dwayne Haskins was a standout player at Ohio State in 2018, breaking multiple school records in passing and earning recognition as the Most Valuable Player in both the Big Ten Championship game and the Buckeyes' Rose Bowl victory against the Washington Huskies. He was subsequently selected in the first round of the NFL draft by Washington in 2019. Despite struggling with a 3-10 record over two seasons, Haskins was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a backup quarterback for the 2021 season. However, he did not have the opportunity to play in any games for the team.