Being Old Doesn't Excuse Gil Brandt's Offensive Comments

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SiriusXM Presents A Town Hall With Pro Football Of Fame Inductee Gil Brandt In Canton, Ohio, Hosted By Drew Pearson

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Age ain’t nothin’ but a number until you’re an old white man talking trash about Dwayne Haskins mere hours after his death. SiriusXM NFL Radio host and DallasCowboys’ Hall of Famer Gil Brandt clearly never learned the lesson that if you can’t say anything nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all.

Mere hours after the tragic death of Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Brandt trashed the young man’s memory while his family and teammates mourned his passing. While some people have tried to give Brandt a pass because of his advanced age, he’s 90; Journalist Chuck Modiano pointed out that the SiriusXM NFL radio show host is just some random old man.

“Gil Brandt isn’t anyone, he’s an NFL Hall of Famer (as Executive) who is saying this. Some of this talk blaming Dwayne Haskins for his own death reminds me of same talk after Sean Taylor was murdered,” Modiano tweeted.

Taylor was a Washington franchise player killed in 2007. According to reports, he was defending his family from an attack in their own home.

Being 90 isn’t an excuse for Brandt’s commentary concerning Haskins and shouldn’t be used to excuse his behavior. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2019. Sports Illustrated reported that Brandt retired from his role as a scout with the Cowboys but said he still worked for the team. Even though he acknowledged that death is “tragic,” he used the moment to talk down on the newly departed Haskins.

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Haskins teammate Steelers Defensive Tackle Cam Heyward called Brandt’s words disgraceful.

“@Gil_Brandt I do not know or will assume to but please don’t speak on my friend. He will be missed, and your words are disgraceful. We are all hurting right now,” tweeted Heyward.

As previously covered by NewsOne, early reports indicate Haskins was hit by a vehicle early Saturday morning while attempting to cross lanes of traffic on Interstate 596.

A product of The Ohio State Buckeyes, Haskins’s commitment to the game can be seen at a young age. A video shared on Twitter shows a young Haskins in a red Buckeye jersey during his first campus visit. All smiles, Haskins says he wanted to go to Ohio State for college.

And attend Ohio State, he did. The video mash-up moves from footage of 11-year-old Haskins working out on the field and then cuts to some of his highlights from Ohio State.

Former Ohio State player Cardale Jones called out sportswriter Adam Schefter earlier in the day to make insensitive remarks in discussing Haskins’ tragic passing.

Yesterday, Brandt’s Twitter account posted a touching tribute to Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Rayfield Wright. It’s unfortunate he couldn’t give Haskins the basic respect. Eleven Warriors, an independent Ohio State sports site, shared several messages from Haskins’ Buckeye family expressing their sorrow and remorse at the young player’s passing.

Both the families of Wright and Haskins deserve love and support as they mourn the loss of their loved ones. Brandt owes Haskins’ family and loved more than a mere apology.