Dwayne Haskins Jr. was not OK. His dad is ready to talk about it – to help others
Dwayne Haskins Jr. was not OK. His dad is ready to talk about it – to help others
Jarrett Bell, USA TODAYWed, May 6, 2026 at 10:08 AM UTC
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This is grief with a purpose.
More than four years since the tragedy of losing his only son, Dwayne Haskins Sr. is so determined to add depth to the legacy of the former NFL quarterback’s complicated life with compassion that he is certain will help others.
Here are some words for this: Admirable. Courageous. Spiritual.
Haskins, through the family’s foundation, will host a talk-back discussion on mental health on May 16th at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn in Maryland that, following a community walk in conjunction with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), will honor his son’s life and launch an awareness campaign. He is convinced that his son – a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2018 who led the NCAA with 4,831 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in his lone season as a starter at Ohio State, yet was cut less than two seasons after Washington drafted him in the first round in 2019 – suffered from unchecked mental health issues as his career and life quickly spiraled off-course.
“Bro, it’s personal to me,” Haskins told USA TODAY Sports, a day after commemorating Dwayne Jr.’s 29th birthday on May 3. “I’ve never said anything about Dwayne publicly.”
The floor is yours, Sir.
“We knew our son had some mental health challenges,” said Haskins, whose family includes his wife, Tamara, and daughter Tamia. “As a family, we recognize that it’s very hard for us to communicate that when a professional athlete is pursuing his dream, that he has mental health issues. There’s a stigma with that.
“We started to recognize warning signs, that we knew something wasn’t right with Dwayne. Now we’ve become an advocate to get people aware of that. There’s mental health that manifests over a period of time, then all of a sudden something will trauma a person, where they won’t be able to have effective decision-making. And it continually gets triggered and triggered.”
It’s a striking coincidence that Haskins is launching this campaign – he hopes to develop a comprehensive program and take it nationwide next year – at a time when the NFL is ramping up mental health support programs in the aftermath of tragedies in recent months where two active players, Marshawn Kneeland of the Dallas Cowboys and Rondale Moore of the Minnesota Vikings, died by suicide.
“I do think there is still a stigma, but I think the stigma is more around help-seeking behaviors as opposed to mental health in general,” Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, NFL vice president of wellness and clinical services, told USA TODAY Sports.
“The stigma is: Is it a sign of weakness to ask for help?”
At the last NFL owners meeting in late March, the league announced the expansion of its mental health services to mandate that all 32 teams must employ a full-time mental health clinician who operates at each team’s headquarters. Previously, the league required teams to have a part-time clinician. Additionally, the NFL is now partnering with Cigna to form a network of specialists for players – and their families – to tap into beyond the team specialists.
“You would be surprised at how receptive players are at using these resources,” said NiiLampti, who worked in a similar capacity for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) before joining the NFL. “I’ve had players who say, ‘Listen, we’ve got an athletic trainer, right? I’ve got a strength and conditioning coach. Why would I not have somebody who’s going to work with me in terms of what’s going on in my head?’ ”
NiiLampti hopes that by expanding the NFL program, challenges in getting support and resources immediately will be addressed. Undoubtedly, when crisis strikes, timing is critical.
“They don’t have the time. I need to work with somebody now!” NiiLampti said. “We need to find a way to get them in, strike while the iron’s hot.”
Haskins was unaware that the NFL recently announced its added emphasis on mental health support programs yet applauds the effort. As he reflects on his son’s journey, he suspects a barrier existed with an inability to acknowledge his challenges from a mental health perspective.
“I think that’s what the problem was. He wasn’t strong enough to say, ‘Hey, I need help,’ ” Haskins said. “But we knew something was wrong. That’s why the celebration (on May 16) is a platform for people to know about the warning signs.”
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Put yourself in the father’s shoes. There is no playbook for losing a son or daughter. The grieving, Haskins realizes, will continue for the rest of his life. He pointed out that he and Tamara are still grieving the losses of their young mothers in 1988 yet have been forced to cope with losing their son in a different context. There was never a chance to say goodbye before Dwayne, Jr. was struck by a dump truck while crossing a highway in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the early morning of April 9, 2022.
And the circumstances surrounding the death – according to the toxicology report, Dwayne, Jr., was legally drunk with ketamine and other drugs in his system, fueling allegations of foul play – left many unanswered questions. Dwayne, Jr., who played his third and final NFL season as backup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021, was in Florida for several weeks of offseason training.
While Haskins didn’t address the controversies, including a dismissed lawsuit pertaining to image rights against Dwayne Jr.’s widow, Kalabrya, it seems clear that in processing the tragedy the focus on mental health is an anchor – in addition to his Christian faith.
At the upcoming event, they will use an acronym, “NINO,” to hammer home a theme of heeding warning signs. He’s hoping it will ultimately be widely recognized as a distress signal.
“NINO – ‘No, I’m not OK’ – is going to be a codeword for people who don’t understand or don’t know how to articulate their emotions,” Haskins said. “We believe that if we can get this acronym in place, we’ll be able to save more lives, or get people the attention or assistance from mental health organizations like NAMI to provide solutions.”
Talk about addressing a stigma. Here’s a suggestion, NFL: Enlist Haskins to visit teams to address their players by sharing his journey. Just imagine the real talk in those sessions.
Especially now, as so many NFL coaches and executives maintain that after the tragedies in recent months, they are more sensitive to mental health challenges. The awareness has resonated to the point that some say it was an increasing factor in evaluating prospects heading into the recent draft.
“This generation has a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, maybe handle it a lot differently than our generation,” Les Snead, the Los Angeles Rams GM, told USA TODAY Sports, alluding to societal patterns. “But I do know this, too: If you think about what they’ve gone through, this group’s been getting driven.
“You’re a professional athlete, you’re a company. You make a bad play and the next thing you know, you’re a meme. I know there are other variables, but being a general manager and a father, you definitely understand what this generation’s reality is.”
Haskins knows. What happens on the field and on social media only scratches the surface. One of his key messages for the upcoming event addresses what he calls, “the perseverance of the dream,” which encompasses myriad potential pitfalls.
If he sounds like a man with a spiritual calling, he will not disagree.
Haskins says matter-of-factly that his campaign is inspired by this message from God: “For you guys to cope, you need to share this.”
He can also imagine a message from his son.
“Dwayne is looking down at us right now,” Haskins said. “And it’s, ‘I’m proud of you mom and dad. You’re bringing awareness on my behalf.’ ”
Which is quite the noble purpose.
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.
Contact Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dwayne Haskin Jr.'s dad opens up about son's mental health before tragic death
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