Terry McLaurin’s goodbye letter to Dwayne Haskins is weep-worthy

The football world was left devastated on Saturday when news broke that Dwayne Haskins passed away.

The former Washington Commanders quarterback was killed by an oncoming vehicle while trying to cross a Florida highway and the NFL community quickly took to mourning and sending its collective condolences to Haskins’ loved ones.

The list of Haskins’ current and former Ohio State and NFL teammates whom shared their thoughts on Twitter is endless. From Antonio Gibson, Joe Burrow, Michael Thomas, Case Keenum, Parris Campbell, TJ Watt, Ben Roethlisberger, Eric Ebron and Mason Rudolph, the love and sadness showed for Haskins was tangible.

In the immediate aftermath, though, we couldn’t help but wonder how Terry McLaurin was reckoning with the news. As Haskins’ former teammate at Ohio State and in Washington and a part of the latter’s 2019 draft class, we can’t fathom the magnitude of heartbreak McLaurin is currently feeling.

Like so many of those impacted by the tragedy, McLaurin needed time to gather his thoughts and stomach the news. Eventually, the star receiver broke his silence in the form of a weep-worthy goodbye message to his longtime friend.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin paid homage to former Ohio State and Washington teammate Dwayne Haskins.

Absolutely gut-wrenching. Our hearts ache for McLaurin, as he and Haskins played together for three seasons at Ohio State. Like so many highly-touted recruits, both players had to bide their time until they were given a prominent role.

It wasn’t until the 2018 season that they shared the field together on a full-time basis. Fittingly enough, it was both their final year in Columbus. In total, Haskins and McLaurin connected on 35 passes for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Pretty impressive numbers for someone who competed with Parris Campbell, KJ Hill, Johnnie Dixon and JK Dobbins for targets. While McLaurin ranked fourth on Ohio State in targets, he finished second on the team in touchdowns.

In the simplest of terms, McLaurin and Haskins developed a close bond during their collegiate and pro careers. And although they were no longer teammates after Haskins got released in late-December of 2020, McLaurin’s statement showed just how excited Haskins was about his future with the Steelers.

As the upstanding professional Washington fans have come to love, McLaurin later thanked everyone who reached out to him after Haskins’ death and asked his 111,000 followers to continue to pray for the late QB’s family.

Despite all of the ups and downs Haskins endured during his short time in Washington, which admittedly wasn’t all his fault given he was drafted by a coach that didn’t want him and wasn’t given any notice before he saw his first action, McLaurin stuck by his friend and defended him through it all.

What a beautiful, yet heartbreaking message penned by McLaurin. Like Haskins’ family and loved ones, we can only hope the 26-year-old receiver can eventually find comfort and peace in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy.