Prominent NFL personality Gil Brandt faced intense criticism on Saturday afternoon over his troubling comments regarding Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Haskins died early Saturday morning after a fatal car accident. The details regarding his passing are incredibly tragic.
Brandt was brought on radio to speak about Haskins, but instead went in a direction nobody expected with his commentary.
The segment largely speaks for itself:
Here is @Gil_Brandt on NFL radio when asked about Dwayne Haskins.
“He was a guy that was living to be dead.”
“It was always something” with Haskins
“Maybe it he stayed in school a year he wouldn’t do silly things [like] jogging on a highway.” pic.twitter.com/cuZZdqYOck— Pete Damilatis (@PeteDamilatis) April 9, 2022
“He was a guy that was living to be dead,” Brandt said at one point. He then went on to add that “it was always something” with Haskins and that “maybe if he stayed in school a year he wouldn’t do silly things [like] jogging on a highway.”
Understandably, folks didn’t take kindly to Brandt’s assessment of the situation.
The worst take imaginable is worse than you could imagine…. https://t.co/FDxDsmr3hg
— Andy Wolf (@FlowyDNA) April 9, 2022
Really @Gil_Brandt this what we on right now? Today? Really?
Have some respect, empathy and READ THE MF’n ROOM!!
Listen, you can do your Dwayne Haskins smear campaign for “leaving early” next month or something…Disgusting. You sound drunk too slurring like that. Be better. https://t.co/JW2450WSwM
— Yung JA (@JamalArmstrong4) April 9, 2022
No way https://t.co/eQzqJcvpP2
— BIGNOAH (@BIGNOAH256) April 9, 2022
Disgraceful. This is where employers should step in. Whenever it’s obvious an employee sees a humans life as just a commodity to an organization. This is a reflection of the company as much as the person making the comments. Truly disappointed @Gil_Brandt @SiriusXMNFL https://t.co/uBvfKYnWCx
— Joseph J. Rowe (@JosephJRowe) April 9, 2022
This is very disgusting. It’s actually crazy that this is real and it actually came out of someone’s mouth https://t.co/AFfRcr8sPc
— (@Eazy_Alli) April 9, 2022
Brandt isn’t the first sports personality to land into hot water for his take on Haskins. ESPN’s Adam Schefter did the same – with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson being left particularly livid over the situation.
Paulina Gretzky just stole the show at the Masters. https://t.co/SA9gAXW2HC
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 8, 2022
Big picture, Haskins obviously wasn’t without his flaws. His infamous strip club controversy and intimate text messages getting exposed to the public were clear examples of that.
But a young life was lost on Saturday.
There is a time and place for criticism – and hours after Haskins’ death wasn’t it for Brandt’s assessment.
The calls for Brandt’s job have already begun. Will he ultimately be fired? An answer should emerge in the next few days.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
