Brian Schottenheimer: We Don’t Move On, We Move Forward | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Brian Schottenheimer: We Don’t Move On, We Move Forward | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Uh, I’d like to uh just uh take a few moments and uh offer my condolences to, you know, Marshon’s family. Um, Catalina, his girlfriend, and uh we had an opportunity last night to celebrate Marawn’s life, tell some stories, share, laugh, cry. Um, Marshon loved the words one love. So, we talked a lot about love as we grieve. And I just had a chance to really share a couple of things that I’ll miss the most about Marshon. Those top couple things was uh he had the most playful spirit of any young man I’ve been around. his smile could take you to your knees. And um in terms of him as an athlete, no one had a better motor than him. So my heart is heavy. Our team’s heart is heavy. We don’t move on, but we do move forward. Open up to questions. Calvin Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News. Um, how do you help your your team, the staff just kind of heal and try to, as you said, move forward? Yeah, it’s a process. You know, there’s been um a lot of conversations with people that have are clearly more of an expert than I am in dealing with grief. you know, we’ve started the process in terms of Monday, the way we set up the schedule was I wanted just to, you know, the problem, you know, this happened. We’re all in the buy, right? So, you’re making phone calls to people and you’re trying to make sense of things and you’re not together. And we’re always going to be stronger together. We are stronger together. So Monday we set it up to where we had a chance to be together and share and talk. And you know, we of course offered some people that can help us sort through what we’re feeling and the emotions of what we’re feeling. And um yesterday we had a a what we call a brotherhood breakfast where we just sat down for about 45 minutes and we just ate together and we just shared and we talked and um laughed, cried. Um and then last night I think the vigil was it was uh beautifully done. Beautifully done. It was difficult as you can imagine. um a couple of our players spoke, but uh it’s the one thing that Catalina, his girlfriend, that was very important to her and of course these guys are incredible and so they um showed up in in droves to be there to support her. Have you talked to any other coaches? I mean, because you have mentors. I don’t know if you called uh DQ or Mike or Coach Spur about what do I do? How do I help? Yeah, I’ve talked to multiple people. Uh I’ve talked to coaches. I’ve talked to um you know, trained psychologists. I’ve talked to you know, we’ve got a great relationship with O2X. You know, they’re you know, uh former, you know, special operations people. You know, they they deal with this, you know, more so than we do on the battlefield and off the battlefield. And um but there’s no there’s no playbook, you know, there’s really not. And so that’s where the late nights come in. And um but the biggest thing for me is being strong for our football team. We’ve got an incredible locker room. That’s where the culture of what we’re trying to build. We we are bonded more than any of us um ever could have thought. Clarence, DLLS Cowboys, can you take us back to that night? and we haven’t really had a chance to talk to you about how you found out and your initial emotions and and what you were doing and your you know what did you do? Yeah, you know um Clarence I’m going to be limited with the details. Um I apologize. I know you guys have to ask those questions. Um it’s uh it’s been a week now. Um but uh the biggest thing was um got a phone call and uh of course we were uh in the moment we had reason to be concerned about Marawn. And so um we moved forward with what we thought was the best plan of attack and um you know a little while later we got word and uh I think I’ll leave it at that. Um it’s a just difficult to talk about still and um but uh I’m very very proud of our guys and the way they’ve handled this. We had a a Zoom meeting on Thursday where guys could get on and um it was uh very heartfelt some of the emotions and um it’s a strong group, man. It’s a strong group of young men and uh they’re leaning on one another. And uh one thing I’ve learned it’s interesting is, you know, when you talk to some of the experts, you know, you guys probably do it as well, right? You know, hey, how you doing? I’m good. Good. You know, and their their sense is that’s not the right question. It’s what are you feeling? So, that was pretty powerful for me. I know you guys are doing the helmet decals. Are are you going to leave the locker as is? I mean, how do you work? I mean, I know it’s just beginning. you’re still trying to get these answers. How you Yeah. Um again, we’re going to honor Marawn, his family, uh a number of different ways. Um the organization have been amazing. Um you know, just we’ve, you know, started the Marshon Nean Memorial Fund where we can all give and support Catalina. um and uh she’s pregnant and so we want to um make sure she’s taken care of and the baby’s taken care of for the rest of their lives. Our guys are very it’s very important to them and to us um with the other decisions. Uh he’s still part of the team and uh there’ll be decisions that are made, but that won’t be made just by me. That’ll be made by me and the leadership of this group. And uh we’ll make the right decision. But uh yeah, we’ve uh we’ve got uh time to make those decisions. Brian Todd Archer with ESPN. Um football players and coaches, you guys can compartmentalize things and able to strive through things. How do you drive through something like this? How how do you get through something like that? One day at a time. Um because I think it’s going to hit everybody different. You know, I literally wasn’t sure I could get through my part of last night speaking at his candlelight vigil and I did. Um, you just take it one day at a time and you don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have all the answers. We don’t we probably won’t have all the answers, but you lean into one another. You love on one another. I go back to, you know, the culture and the guys in that locker room will be okay because of the strength that they draw from one another. And we’ve got some guys that have been through this. I’ve never been through something like this um this close that hits this close to home. There’s guys that I can draw from with their experiences and everybody deals with it different. Some guys getting out on the grass is going to be the best thing in the world for them. Some guys getting out on the grass is going to be painful and that’s okay. And we’re going to give each other uh grace and time. But I do promise you this, these guys will be ready to play against the Raiders. Um and we will honor Marawn with how we play, not just against the Raiders, but for the rest of uh the season. you you talk about the culture that you’ve built in the talks you’ve had with guys and I’m sure everybody does. Have you said what did I miss? What could I have done? What could I have seen during uh of course I mean you those those questions are natural. Um you try not to think about them but when you’re having very open and authentic conversations with these guys, the pain is real. The questions are real. But again, the more you talk to the experts, the people that that deal with this, you know, all the time, they say a lot of times you’re never going to know, you know, and so, but I’d be lying if I said to you, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night or when I’m on the phone talking to one of these guys have those thoughts like you do. John Mich with the Athletic. I just wondering, I know you mentioned the one love uh part at the beginning, but is there any other type maybe a moment that stands out to you, your first time being around Marawn or uh just maybe around the facility or or during a game or something that that you’re just thinking that you’ve been thinking about lately? There’s a lot of them. Again, you know, I think uh I was able to share last night. So we we do these um you know when O2X came in, we did these surveys and so you got a chance to you know you ask the players different questions and try to get to know him on a deeper level and all the players and coaches fill them out and um just the maturity of of of Marshon and the way he spoke and the way he talked about you know work ethic and discipline and maturity and um was really really powerful for me. Um, I think I probably go back to, you know, his touchdown the other night because, uh, just the excitement on his face and it was a huge part in that game for us gave us a potential for a momentum swing. Um, but when you talk about practice players and the way they work from a OTAA to a walkth through to a game to whatever, you you’d be hard pressed to ask anybody in that locker room if anybody worked harder than Marawn. And then just what were your thoughts when you see that teams around the league, they have the they’re doing like moments of silence, things like that. Um, just what what were your thoughts? Yeah, this is a special league, guys. I mean, we’re blessed to be a part of this league. You know, the outpouring of support for not just me, but our players and ownership and, you know, that’s what we love about this league and that’s what we love about this small fraternity of people that that we get to be involved with. And uh I can’t I mean, if I could show you my phone right now, just the text message that you get from people just showing you love and support and prayer and you know, that’s a big thing for me right now. you know, spend a lot of time in prayer and looking for answers. But yeah, I mean, the National Football League is it’s an amazing fraternity and I feel blessed and I know our players do to be a part of it because of the support that we’re we’re receiving. Um, but you know, we do this together. You know, we we we like I said, you know, we we don’t move on, but we do move forward and we do that together. And we do that by locking arms and and and and and working and grieving and growing and processing together. Nick here for Warstar Telegram. Uh whether it be talking to guys on this team, his family, uh or just thinking back, is there any story that you’ve learned over the course of the last week about Marawn that has stood out as you talk about his genuine love that part of um I mean I’ll share this. Uh his high school coach is a guy by the name of Brandon Kimble. And in Marshawn’s, you know, survey that he filled out, he talked about, uh, we asked who, you know, three H’s, hero, highlight, hardship, and his hero was, uh, Coach Kimble. And Coach Kimble spoke last night. I got a chance to visit with him. Uh, very emotional. U, his reasoning for that coach Kimell was his hero was because he always looked out for him. And I think it shows you as a coach. I thanked him number one for that. I thought it was important that he heard that from me. And I also challenged our coaches to understand the impact that we’re allowed and blessed and fortunate to have to impact these young men. Uh and not just as football players, but as husbands, fathers, Christians. Um, and so I think the fact that he chose his high school coach shows you the value of relationships to Marawn and how much he loves the game of football and how much he loved people. How valuable are the resources that have come in? The league had said Thursday morning that they sent counseling resources to you guys. How valuable have those resources been? Are they still in the building? Yeah. Yes. Um, again, the league’s been great. Uh, our in-house people have been outstanding. Um, you know, we’re we’re doing it together, but you know, we feel like we’ve got incredible support, but you at the same time, it’s us working through this together, and it’s us showing us grace. Um, we’re a week out, right? Today’s a week out. And, uh, it’s not going to get easier. It’s going to get different, you know, and um but, you know, I think the the plan of, you know, getting out on the grass tomorrow and and and running around a little bit will be, like I said, therapeutic for some of these guys and for some of the guys that are hurting, that’s okay, too. Tom, Tommy, Dallas Cowboys.com. You mentioned the culture and your leaders during this time. For some of the guys who have unfortunately dealt with this like back and Sullivan, how how big have they been for your group throughout the past week? I mean, those are two of the, you know, best leaders in the in the league in my opinion. We’re fortunate to have them. Unfortunately, they’re able to talk about something that, you know, has been very, you know, devastating for them in their past. And, um, but it’s not just them. I think, you know, we were able to have some, you know, breakout sessions on Monday where we were able to share and um there’s a lot of emotions and I’m not going to get into the details of those things, but um it was um hard to hear the pain that some of these guys are dealing with, but it was also very um uplifting to hear the strength from other guys and and that’s the beauty of a team, right? Like when one side of the ball’s playing good, the other side of the ball has to pick them up. When one guy’s hurting, someone else has to pick them up. If if the head coach is hurting, someone’s got to pick me up. And uh and I won’t I’m hurting. I’m hurting. And uh these guys uh have picked me up and I’ve picked them up and uh that’s what we’re going to continue to do because we love one another and um it’s what a family does. Joe Joe, Dallas Morning News. Uh kind of on that note, um you have a lot people a lot of people look to you in this kind of situation. How do you check in on yourself and check in on some of the other coaches who are people are looking to them to make sure they’re also doing okay? Constantly. Yeah, I mean it’s constant, you know. I think um you know I think uh it’s a little bit like a doctor where you’re making the rounds. You know, you’re just identifying, okay, I need to talk to this guy. You know, when when it broke, I I I I tried to get to every player I could get to. Um and uh guys have been great sharing. You know, I always ask before I get off a call or from talking to a guy, hey, any anybody I need to be concerned about or whatnot. And guys are I think that’s the thing I’m most proud of that we’ve built is the culture where guys are able to be real and have hard conversations. And um I would change it if I could that we’re going through this, but u I think that uh this group of young men are very strong and uh they’re going to lean into one another and uh we’ll be okay. Patrick, hey coach Patrick, Dallas, um first and foremost, sorry for the loss, obviously. um for those inside the building, you know, know very well the Cowboys and the resources they put into mental health. And then of course, you have guys that do work in the community as well, Dax Solomon and so many others. But for the fans that are wondering, you know, what are some of those examples of resources internally that you guys have for players to be able to come to and voice themselves? Um I don’t know if there is any that you could share for the general public just to let fans know that hey this is what we’re doing. Yeah, I mean, again, I don’t want to get into specifics details, Patrick, but believe me, there’s a team of people. I think we had, you know, seven um, you know, grief specialists, I guess you would say, in the building the other day for those breakout sessions. Um, you know, talking to the players, you know, letting them share, as you can imagine, like you guys can guess, some guys are more open right now than others. Some guys, it’s still very raw. Some guys they don’t want to um speak or share. We’re asking the right questions to get them to share so that we can help process all the different emotions. But it’s been incredible the support system that we’ve had um you know just from our operations people to the support staff to the doctors to the trainers to people that have reached out. I mean it’s it’s non-stop. We we we we want for nothing. Um but we still miss our our our brother Marshon Garrett. Garrett Codel, CBS Sports. Brian, you said you’ve never really gone through something like this before. How do you feel like going through something like this will affect or mold just the way you are as a as a coach and person going forward? Uh I told the players the other day, and I I mean it, they’re going to probably get tired of it, but uh I’m going to always tell them how much I love them. Um, and I do I love them. I care about him. Uh, probably never be the same to be honest with you. Um, I’m a people person anyways, but uh, you know, the the one thing that helped I think a lot of these guys about being on the buy when this happened was most of them were with people that they loved and cared about. They were with family members. I know I hugged my kids and uh my wife and uh that that helps soothe the pain for a little bit. Deuce Mike Ducey, Fox 4. As you mentioned, there’s no playbook for a coach to try to help his team through this situation. uh how do you allow your team to grieve, maybe even encourage them to grieve while also stressing the importance of preparing for for the job they have to do? Yeah, I think that’s you know that’s where the strength and character of your football team comes into I think you know at the end of the day we have to work back to a regular routine and that’s what we’re going to do. you know, we we will move forward. The one benefit of playing on Monday night is we’ve been given a little bit more time to grieve. Uh that grieving process is not over. There’s going to be things that that affect us differently, you know, um throughout the next couple weeks, but we understand our best our best way to honor Marawn on the field is by how we play. And uh that’s something that we get to control and I think the guys are excited about that. How much are you leaning on your faith to take you through this? It’s everything. I mean it’s it’s everything. I’ve um you I started where uh you know I didn’t you know really want to listen to worship music or I didn’t want to and then I realized like what are you doing man? like my faith is everything to me obviously and uh that’s where I’m leaning into and I’m offering that and you know I think uh you know we’ve had you know you know Dr. Tony Evans spoke to the team the other day. Did an amazing job from a spiritual aspect of it. But again, I do think that, you know, a lot of this is going to come down to us loving on one another, sharing with one another, and you know, I mean, telling telling stories, and it doesn’t have to be, you know, you know, we’re going to celebrate the great memories that we have with with Marshon. And um those are going to be a little easier to to tell as the days become weeks and things like that. Anybody else? Ky, you had one? Yeah, I don’t want to be that. How do you move forward to get back to football? I mean, we talked about, you know, we we got to move forward. When do you get back on the grass? When is the p how do you do that? Yeah. Well, I mean, it’s a fair question. And uh what I’ll say to you is right now we’re game planning getting ready for the Raiders as a staff. It’s the players day off. It’s um it’s a it’s a distraction. It’s what we know to do. And when our players come in for meetings tomorrow, we’re we’re going to prep and get ready to play Las Vegas. And it doesn’t change the fact that we have a game. And um for a lot of these guys, you know, this is where they come to get away from things that are hard for them in their life, and that’s what they love about this. And um that’s what I’m leaning on. But, you know, I mean, it it it is a distraction in a positive way. It takes your mind off of it. And u he’s never out of my mind. He never will be, but it is a distraction when you’re watching uh an opponent that’s coming up. You get all the anticipation, excitement. Oh, we got these these guys coming in, guys coming back. You want to be excited about them, you know. How do you balance? No, because one thing’s different than the other. You know, I mean, we are excited for the guys we have coming back. And you know, again, what do they want to do? They want to honor Marawn with the way they play. And so, um, someone mentioned compartmentalized, like you you do break it into different pieces. And um it’s just uh it gets blurry sometimes, you know, but there’s definitely excitement these guys. I mean, think about some of these guys, what they’ve had to come through to get back to where they are. So, I would never ever take away from the excitement I have for Demo, you know, coming back and things like that. Last one, Calvin. Um Marshall’s so young, like 24, and how much did you call Sutton and your daughter just to you know, just to say, you know, um quite a bit. Quite a bit. Thanks, guys.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer speaks with media for the first time since the tragic passing of Marshawn Kneeland and reflects on the team’s response and their plans to honor his memory.

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