Dwayne Haskins Honored by Fans with Donations to Animal Rescue

Football fans honored Dwayne Haskins by donating to an animal shelter he had highlighted during his playing career.

According to USA Today's Jori Epstein, Wolf Trap Animal Rescue had received almost $6,500 from 299 donors following Haskins' death.

"The influx was roughly 430 percent the typical donation intake across the period," Epstein wrote. "... As of late Tuesday afternoon, the still-arriving donations could have funded 64 pets' spay and neuter procedures, 259 life-saving essential vaccines, or 649 pets' worth of food in foster care, according to the organization's funding structure."

Haskins, 24, died Saturday in Florida when a dump truck struck him while he attempted to cross a highway on foot. He had been in South Florida to work out with some of his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates.

In the wake of his death, fans on social media began to encourage donations to Wolf Trap Animal Rescue.

While playing for the Washington Commanders in 2019, Haskins drew attention toward the nonprofit as part of the NFL's wider "My Cause My Cleats" campaign. His cleats displayed the name of the animal shelter and had a drawing of his Doberman.

"Dogs are a man's best friend," Haskins said. "We just love spending time with them—they bring a whole bunch of energy—and they make my day brighter"

Amber Burton, a veterinarian who founded Wolf Trap Rescue, told Epstein that "it shows the depth of their character" when an NFL player such as Haskins builds the kind of relationship he did with the animal shelter.