Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died Wednesday night at 24. The Marshawn Kneeland mental health conversation has taken over the NFL after police confirmed he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound hours after a pursuit on the Dallas North Tollway. Two days earlier, Marshawn Kneeland scored his first NFL touchdown. The timeline has left fans, teammates, and coaches stunned.The details are confirmed by police, dispatch audio, and team statements. Nothing about this is speculation. Everything about this is difficult. And the Marshawn Kneeland mental health story now sits at the center of a larger conversation the NFL has spent years trying to address.
How police tracked Marshawn Kneeland in the final hours and how the Marshawn Kneeland mental health crisis surfaced through confirmed dispatch audio
DPS troopers tried to stop a vehicle around 10:30 p.m. on the Dallas North Tollway near Keller Springs. Video from NTTA showed the trooper chasing a speeding car. Investigators said the trooper lost visual contact. Minutes later, the same car, registered to Marshawn Kneeland, was found crashed off the Dallas Parkway near The Star.Initial reports said Marshawn Kneeland left the scene on foot. Officers began searching after receiving information that he had expressed suicidal thoughts. Plano police went to the apartment listed to the vehicle around 11 p.m., found no one inside, returned at 11:40 p.m. after another welfare call, and again made no contact.Frisco police found Marshawn Kneeland at 1:30 a.m. with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner confirmed the cause as suicide, according to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.TMZ published police dispatch audio that directly referenced the Marshawn Kneeland mental health crisis. Operators relayed information from Marshawn Kneeland’s girlfriend and the NFL. She told police he was armed, had a history of mental struggles, and told officers he said he would “end it all.” Dispatchers said the NFL told Plano PD that Marshawn Kneeland had been texting his family goodbye.A cousin of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland has publicly questioned the circumstances surrounding his death. The Marshawn Kneeland mental health conversation intensified after his family said the events of Wednesday night did not match the person they knew.His first cousin, Jasmin Kneeland, told the Daily Mail she does not believe he died by suicide and said she is struggling to accept the official account. “I truly think they killed him, I truly do,” she said. She questioned why he would run and then die by suicide in a portable toilet. “Marshawn is not a violent person. He is not a hot head. Something here is just not right. Something made him really scared and he ran.”
Police later confirmed he was found in a portable toilet. All reporting matches the official timeline.
How former coaches, teammates, fans, and the league responded to Marshawn Kneeland and why the Marshawn Kneeland mental health conversation has become unavoidableThe Dallas Cowboys released a statement:“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.”Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni opened his press conference by saying, “The NFL is a brotherhood, you know, and so obviously that was on our mind this morning. And our thoughts and prayers go out to, you know, his family and the and the Dallas Cowboys.”FOX 4 spoke with former Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and former assistant defensive line coach Greg Ellis. Mike Zimmer said he could have named countless players he worried about before he ever imagined Marshawn Kneeland would be in crisis. Greg Ellis called Marshawn Kneeland a second son. He was watching on Monday as Marshawn Kneeland scored his touchdown off a blocked punt.Greg Ellis said walking back into the locker room next week, seeing Marshawn Kneeland’s locker, and feeling that missing presence will hit the team again. Both coaches pointed out how difficult the timing is because the Dallas Cowboys are spread out during the bye week.Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard said, “It hurts your heart… this is the real-life stuff people go through.”San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, who lost his sister to suicide, wrote, “I wish you knew it was going to be OK… I wish you knew how bad we wanted you to stay.”Fans gathered at The Star, leaving candles, flowers, and handwritten signs. Some had met him after Monday Night Football and said the loss felt personal.Marshawn Kneeland’s agent, Jonathan Perzley of Sportstars, posted his own statement:“I am shattered to confirm that my client and dearest friend Marshawn Kneeland passed away last night.”He added, “I watched him fight his way from a hopeful kid at Western Michigan with a dream to being a respected professional for the Dallas Cowboys. Marshawn poured his heart into every snap, every practice, and every moment on the field.”The Marshawn Kneeland mental health conversation is not new inside the league. The NFL and NFLPA mandated in 2019 that every team must have a licensed behavioral health clinician. The Indianapolis Colts launched “Kicking The Stigma” in 2020. Former Philadelphia Eagles star Brian Dawkins spoke publicly about his own depression and suicidal thoughts during his Hall of Fame induction.Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott lost his brother Jace to suicide in 2020. Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas lost his sister Ella in 2018. Marshawn Kneeland’s death has reopened those wounds. The NFL has more resources than ever, but this tragedy shows gaps that still exist.No one is guessing. The facts are confirmed. The reaction is real. The grief is everywhere. And the Marshawn Kneeland mental health conversation will not go away, because it cannot go away.
Micah Parsons makes emotional pledge to the family of Marshawn Kneeland after the confirmed details of Kneeland’s death
Green Bay Packers linebacker Micah Parsons spoke for the first time on Friday about the death of Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland. The Marshawn Kneeland mental health conversation continues to ripple across the league, and Parsons made it clear that his former teammate’s family will not face this alone.Parsons and Marshawn Kneeland played together last season in Dallas. He described Kneeland as someone who brought respect and ease into the locker room.“Marshawn’s a guy who loved his anime, loved his video games, like anybody else,” Parsons said. “To me, he always showed me nothing but respect from the moment he came into the locker room.”Parsons said the loss has hit him harder than he expected.“He respected me as a player. He respected me as a person, so I have nothing but high respect for him. If there’s anything his family needs, I’ll be the first person to help or offer anything I can. I just hope that he finds his peace and his family finds his peace in the situation.”As Parsons prepares for Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, he said he is still processing the news.“I would say I was extremely shocked. I was extremely hurt by the news. Anyone I know, I don’t want to see anyone go this soon at this age. I don’t want anyone to go, but that’s kind of the reality.”Parsons ended by reflecting on how moments like this force players to confront their own fears, especially as parents.“I think the first key is accepting. I kind of accept it, but now I just gotta pray he finds his peace and what he was looking for. How he felt in that moment, you just really don’t know. For me, I have kids. How do I make sure my kids don’t end up in that similar situation?”
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