A new lawsuit alleges that former NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins was drugged as part of a “blackmail and robbery conspiracy” before his tragic death in April of last year.
The lawsuit, filed in Broward County, Florida, by the late quarterback’s family, lists four individuals, two restaurants, a golf driving range, and a hotel as defendants in the alleged conspiracy, ESPN reports.
Haskins was struck and killed by a dump truck on a Florida highway in the early morning hours of April 9, 2022. The driver of the truck is one of the four individuals listed as a defendant in the lawsuit whose “negligent acts” were a direct cause of the 24-year-old quarterback’s death.
A fan lights a candle during a candlelight vigil in memory of Dwayne Haskins at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Ohio State Buckeye Dwayne Haskins, 24, died Saturday morning after he was struck by a dump truck while walking on a South Florida highway. (Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
A Florida medical examiner ruled Haskins’ cause of death as blunt trauma, and accidental.
“It is believed that Dwayne was targeted and drugged as part of a blackmail and robbery conspiracy,” attorney Rick Ellsley said in a statement. “In fact, his highly-expensive watch was stolen from him shortly before his death.”
As ESPN reports, “A toxicology report concluded Haskins was legally drunk when he was hit by the truck on I-595 in Florida. Separate samples taken from his body had blood alcohol levels of .20 and .24, both of which are above the legal limit in Florida of .08.
Fans and students hold a candlelight vigil at Ohio Stadium in memory of Dwayne Haskins on April 12, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Ohio State Buckeye Dwayne Haskins, 24, died Saturday morning after he was struck by a dump truck while walking on a South Florida highway. (Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
“According to the toxicology report, Haskins also tested positive for ketamine and norketamine, drugs that are used by medical professionals as anesthetics but that also have been known to be used recreationally.”
Haskins’ widow, Kalabrya Haskins, is the family’s representative in the lawsuit. It is unknown what specific damages the family is seeking in the lawsuit.