The widow of late NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins is taking action. According to PEOPLE, Kalabrya Haskins filed a civil lawsuit in March in Broward County, Florida, claiming her husband was “targeted and drugged” on the night of his death as part of a conspiracy to blackmail him. The filing lists four people as defendants in the case, claiming they planned to “blackmail and rob” Dwayne Haskins on the night of his death.
Rick Ellsley, the lawyer representing Kalabrya, told PEOPLE that “many questions remain unanswered” when it comes to the death of Haskins. “It is believed that Dwayne was targeted and drugged as part of blackmail and robbery conspiracy,” Ellsley’s statement said. “In fact, his highly-expensive watch was stolen from him shortly before his death.” The lawsuit also claims negligence against a driving range, a hotel company, a restaurant and a nightclub.
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Haskins died on April 9, 2022, after being hit by a truck while attempting to cross multiple lanes of traffic on foot after running out of gas along I-595 in Florida. Kalabrya called the local police to check on her husband after he told her he was getting out of his car to get gas.
“I just want somebody to go to the area to see if his car’s there, see if he’s O.K., if anything happened to him,” Kalabrya had told dispatchers. “That’s just not like him to not call me back and for his phone to go dead. He was stranded by himself. He was walking, though.”
According to ESPN, a toxicology report included samples that show Haskins blood alcohol levels at .20 and .24, Both numbers were greater than Florida’s .08 legal limit. Haskins also tested positive for ketamine and norketamine. Kalabrya’s lawsuit claims that the dump truck driver was “driving carelessly,” and “failed to keep a proper lookout.”
Haskins, who died at the age of 24, was selected by the now-Washington Commanders in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played for Washington for two seasons before he was released from his contract. In January 2021, Haskins signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was the backup quarterback for Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph. A month before his death Haskins signed a one-year restricted free-agent tender with the Steelers. He played in 16 NFL games and threw for 2,804 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
