Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, a former college standout in his second season with the NFL, has died. He was 24.
The former Western Michigan player, who was originally from Grand Rapids, died by suicide after a police chase Wednesday night, the Texas Department of Public Safety told The Independent.
Officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Kneeland for a traffic violation just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, but he “refused to stop, resulting in a pursuit with DPS Troopers,” who eventually lost sight of the vehicle, police said.
Authorities in Frisco, in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, joined the chase after Kneeland drove into the city. Officers found his vehicle crashed and abandoned on the southbound side of Dallas Parkway, near Warren Parkway.
After searching the immediate area, officers found Kneeland “deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the Frisco Police Department said.
Kneeland was the Cowboys’ second-round pick during the 2024 draft. He recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for his first career touchdown during the Cowboys’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday — his final game.
While searching for the player, police “received information that Kneeland expressed suicidal ideations,” the Frisco police department added. He was found dead just after 1:30 a.m.
The Dallas Cowboys acknowledged his death without specifying the cause in a statement Thursday morning.
“It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the team said. “Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
Kneeland’s agent, Jonathan Perzleyk, described his death in a post on Instagram as “a pain I can hardly put into words.”
“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,” he wrote. “Marshawn poured his heart into every snap, every practice, and every moment on the field. To lose someone with his talent, spirit, and goodness is a pain I can hardly put into words,” he wrote.
The NFL said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the passing of Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland. Our thoughts and prayers are with his girlfriend Catalina, family, friends and his teammates.”
Throughout his two seasons with the NFL, Kneeland played in 18 games with four starts, and had 26 tackles and one sack. His first season in 2024 was off to a promising start before he was sidelined for several games due to a knee injury.
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As Kneeland was preparing for the 2024 NFL draft, his mother, Wendy, suddenly died.
“It was definitely tough,” Kneeland told the Dallas Morning News when he was drafted. “I just managed it. She helped me a lot in my younger years getting into football. I always had the dream. I always told her, ‘I’m going to the NFL’ and I made it.”
He added: “It’s a hard situation just knowing she got to see me potentially going to the NFL and going through [the process]. She’s still with me. I got this urn of her ashes I carry with me everywhere. I still feel like she’s there watching over me.”
Kneeland wore his mother’s ashes in a necklace after he was drafted, according to the report.
The Cowboys next game is Monday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org
