It was a stunning piece of news coming out of Cowboys headquarters on Thursday, announcing the death of 24-year-old defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, the team’s second-round draft pick in 2024. Kneeland died, according to reports from police, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Cowboys posted a statement from the team on Thursday morning, saying, “It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning. Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
The news sent shockwaves around the NFL, and around the Cowboys players and coaches, who are off this weekend because of the bye. But safety Juanyeh Thomas, who came to the Cowboys a year before Kneeland’s arrival, posted on Twitter/X his shock and sadness.
“Sick my stomach, my brotha man,” Thomas wrote, with emojis of a crying face and a white dove.
Twitter/X
Marshawn Kneeland Apparently Had ‘History of Mental Issues’
Details that have trickled out about Kneeland’s final moments have only added to the sadness of the situation. TMZ is reporting that radio dispatch recordings showed Kneeland was suicidal and experiencing a mental health episode last night in his car.
From TMZ: “The girlfriend said Kneeland was armed and had a history of mental issues … and she was quoted saying he would ‘end it all.’
Cowboys 2nd-Round Draft Pick in 2024
Kneeland’s death comes about 20 months removed from the death of his mother, Wendy Kneeland, to an undisclosed cause. Wendy Kneeland’s death came less than two weeks before her son needed to be at his best during the NFL predraft combine.
The Cowboys picked Kneeland in the second round in April.
Marshawn Kneeland said at the time, “A lot of people don’t know because I really don’t talk about it too much … It was tough, it still is, but I know at the end of the day the thing that gets me through it is she spent all her life trying to get me to go here and supported me as much as she could to get me to the NFL.”
When the combine was over, Kneeland recalled, “It was tough I had a week to prepare [for the combine] and try to breathe and let all of it out as much as possible with the situation. But I had to lock in. I put myself in the best position and she helped me out a lot just leading up to the draft. I personal best almost every day leading up to [the combine]. … She was right there with me.”
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