Marshawn Kneeland was going dangerously fast on the night before he took his own life. The Dallas Cowboys defensive end died by apparent suicide on November 6 at just 24 years old. This happened only a few days after he scored his first ever touchdown in the NFL.
On the night of November 5, a Texas Department of Public Safety officer noticed Kneeland speeding at around 10:30pm, according to Daily Mail. The officer started to follow him and saw him changing lanes in an unsafe way as he overtook other cars on the road.
A police report that TMZ got hold of says Kneeland was going faster than 145 miles per hour. The officer tried to get him to stop, but he kept driving. His Dodge Charger quickly got away and the officer lost sight of it. A few minutes later, police found the car after it had hit another vehicle and come to a stop in a field. Kneeland was not in the car. What police found inside his car made everything worse. They discovered an empty gun holster, but there was no gun anywhere.
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What happened next was truly tragic
The police started looking for Kneeland and even brought in dogs to help with the search. While all this was going on, the Cowboys player sent a group text to his family to say goodbye. His girlfriend Catalina Mancera also got in touch with police to tell them that Kneeland had a gun and she was scared he might hurt himself. New details about Kneeland’s death have prompted fans to say it is time the NFL took mental health seriously.
They found Kneeland’s body in a portable toilet at around 1:30am on November 6. He had died from a gunshot wound that he gave himself. Members of the Cowboys front office came to meet with police at the scene that same night.
When the Cowboys played their next game on Monday night, they paid tribute to their fallen teammate in several ways. The players wore shirts with Kneeland’s face on them while warming up, and they put his number 94 on their helmets.
Before the game started, everyone in the stadium stayed quiet for a moment to remember him. The team also set up a locker for him at Allegiant Stadium and hung his jersey there with the rest of his teammates. A Patriots player also sent a message by wearing a suicide lifeline shirt, which the league interpreted as a tribute to Kneeland.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters that Mancera is expecting a baby. The Cowboys have started a fund in Kneeland’s name to help take care of her and the child. “She’s pregnant and so we want to make sure she is taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Schottenheimer said.
Mancera, who is 22, talked to the Daily Mail briefly about losing Kneeland. “It’s too much,” she said. “I’m grieving hard right now. It will be a long time before I’ll feel ready to talk at any length.” She also mentioned that the family is still figuring out the details for his funeral.
Published: Nov 22, 2025 03:30 pm