The Dallas Cowboys and the football community at large are mourning one of their own. On Thursday, November 6, the Cowboys announced the untimely passing of their defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who passed away on Thursday morning aged 24. “It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the team, which last played on Monday, November 3 against the Cardinals, said in a statement. “Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Marshawn was found dead early Thursday morning in Frisco, Texas from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot would after crashing his car following a police chase. Officers attempted to stop his vehicle at 10:33pm local time, but he refused to stop, leading to a pursuit. DPS troopers eventually lost sight of the car, which was later located abandoned after it was involved in a crash on the Dallas Parkway. According to the Fresno Police Department, Marshawn fled the scene on foot, and was found deceased at 1:31am.
The Cowboys, who as of writing have a 3-5-1 record this season, are currently on their bye week, and are not scheduled to return to practice until Monday. Marshawn, during last Monday’s 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, scored the Cowboys’ first touchdown, recovering a blocked punt in the end zone, per ESPN.
In 2024, he was the Cowboys’ second-round pick out of Western Michigan, No. 56 overall. He played for the Western Michigan Broncos from 2019 to 2023, though he had previously considered transferring to the University of Colorado.
© Getty ImagesMarshawn during Monday, November 4th’s game against the Arizona Cardinals
Marshawn was born on July 8, 2001, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and attended Godwin Heights High School in Wyoming, Michigan, playing as both a linebacker and tight end while in high school, during which he set records for tackles, sacks and tackles for loss.
Per ESPN, he missed two games this season due to injury, and was credited with 15 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. As a rookie, he missed six games with a knee injury and had 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, 13 quarterback pressures, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
© Getty ImagesThe Cowboys have had a difficult season so far
On Instagram, where Marshawn has close to 20k followers, his last post was on October 9, a photo carousel featuring some snaps of the start of football season, including one of his outfits going into a game, as well as several snaps of him on the field and during practice. It’s captioned: “Knew I was a trench baby, the way I had their mob psycho.”
© Getty ImagesThe late football player during a college football game in 2024
Already the comments section under the post is flooded with condolences, with one fan writing: “Rest in peace brother. You will be missed,” as others followed suit with: “Rest in peace brother. You had an amazing soul,” and: “Can’t believe it… RIP Marshawn,” as well as: “Rest in piece dawg prayers for your family.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.