Dear Editor:
The article that Aubrey Bruce wrote on Dwayne Haskins did a disservice to the wonderful young man that he was. Bruce dredged up so much negative and wrongly implied that Haskins had a domestic violence charge against him. Haskins, in fact, should have been lauded for showing great restraint during the incident that Bruce mentions. Haskins was NEVER accused of domestic violence. Aubrey Bruce got it wrong!
Having just spent 8 days with him before his death, my husband Judge Dwayne Woodruff and I viewed him as a role model for young men/his teammates and we were very excited with the possibility that a man of his intellect and character would be leading the Steelers as QB#1.
From what was written in Bruce’s article, we can only assume that Bruce never spoke directly with Haskins; for if he had, we are certain that he would have been thoroughly impressed with him. Haskins was humble and wise beyond his years. Haskins was the only current/young Steeler to give his testimony on the Steelers cruise before a large audience of Steelers Fans; his words were thoughtful, inspiring & touching beyond words. He spoke of how his Dad and Mom had nurtured him and his sister to love God and love others. Haskins was engaging and won the Fan Favorite award on the cruise (beating out finalist, Santonio Holmes). He was very deserving of those accolades. Haskins wife Kalabrya also spoke of how he insisted that she finish her degree from Michigan State and how he typed up all her notes, helped her study for tests and was supporting her in starting a business in Pittsburgh.
We sat across the aisle from the couple on the flight from Miami, back to Pittsburgh late on April 3rd. I asked him to autograph my Terrible Towel and he obliged immediately.
Remembering Kalabrya’s words about him, in addition to our observance of him during the entire cruise, made it evident that he would have capably led the Steelers and become a fan favorite in the City of Pittsburgh. I’m so disappointed that he did not get better treatment from the Pittsburgh Courier.
Joy Maxberry Woodruff
Pittsburgh
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