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Paris Johnson Jr. pays tribute to late Dwayne Haskins ahead of Week 1 game vs Commanders

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes09/10/23

NickGeddesNews

Dwayne Haskins
Joshua A. Bickel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona Cardinals rookie offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. arrived to FedEx Field ahead of Week 1 against the Washington Commanders Sunday wearing a t-shirt honoring the late Dwayne Haskins.

Johnson and Haskins both attended and played football at Ohio State.

Haskins was killed on April 9, 2022, after a dump truck struck him while he was walking on I-595 near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 24. 

Haskins’ family filed a lawsuit alleging he was drugged on the night of his death as part of a “blackmail and robbery conspiracy” against him. Haskins’ family filed the lawsuit in Broward County, Florida, in March. The lawsuit lists four individuals, two restaurants, a golf driving range and a hotel as defendants.

The estate of Haskins reached a partial settlement last month with the driver, owner and broker of the dump truck.

Rick Ellsley, the attorney representing Haskins’ family, said that settlements with various other parties have been secured. 10 defendants still remain and a court date has yet to be set.

A toxicology report concluded Haskins was legally drunk at the time of his death. Multiple samples of blood were extracted from his body and showed blood-alcohol levels of .20 and .24 respectively. Both are above the legal limit of .08 in the state of Florida. In addition, Haskins tested positive for ketamine and norketamine. The medical examiner attributed multiple blunt force injuries as the cause of Haskins’ death.

Dwayne Haskins estate reaches partial settlement in QB’s death

The lawsuit alleges the dump truck driver was speeding, driving carelessly and had a cargo load exceeding the legal weight limit before hitting Haskins. Haskins’ family questions how much of an effort the dump truck driver made to avoid Haskins.

The lawsuit alleges a man and three women drugged and robbed Haskins in the hours before his death. Per the family, it occurred at a Boca Raton hotel, golf driving range, bar and nightclub. Furthermore, the suit states the pickup truck Haskins rented had a mechanical issue causing it to run out of gas. The family alleges that the state highway department didn’t properly maintain and light the road, or post a lower speed limit while construction work was being done.