NFL Community Rocked by Tragic Loss
The Dallas Cowboys organisation has been plunged into mourning following the devastating death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died from an apparent suicide on November 6 at just 24 years old. The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the entire NFL community, leaving teammates and staff grappling with profound grief.
Solomon Thomas's Personal Connection to Tragedy
For Cowboys lineman Solomon Thomas, the loss hits particularly close to home. The 30-year-old player lost his older sister Ella to suicide seven years ago, describing her as his 'best friend'. Speaking to teammates in the wake of Kneeland's death, Thomas delivered a powerful and raw message about navigating grief.
'First off, you don't escape grief,' Thomas began during an emotional address to his fellow players. 'Grief never leaves you. Grief is forever with you. And as soon as you feel like you're on top of grief, grief will hit you on the head as hard as a rock.'
The Tragic Final Hours
The circumstances surrounding Kneeland's death reveal a deeply troubling final sequence of events. According to police reports, his girlfriend Catalina Mancera alerted authorities that Kneeland possessed a firearm and she feared he might take his own life after he refused to pull over for a traffic violation in Frisco, Texas.
During the ensuing drama with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, the NFL star sent his family a group text message saying 'goodbye'. Police temporarily lost sight of Kneeland's vehicle before he crashed into a pickup truck and fled on foot. Officers ultimately discovered his body in a portable toilet in the early hours of November 6.
Thomas, who created The Defensive Line foundation in memory of his late sister, emphasised to teammates the importance of 'honouring themselves throughout this process' and warned against trying to escape difficult emotions.
'The moment you try and run away from it, the bigger it gets, and the more that will affect your performance,' he explained. 'If you have to go outside during meetings, walk around, call your mom, do that... that's what's important right now: feel that grief, feel that pain. Cry, be angry, be confused, because that's what's real.'
The Cowboys player, who joined the team this year after spells with the 49ers, Raiders and Jets, even offered to 'hold' his teammates as they processed their emotions through tears.
Team Support and Memorial Fund
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed that Kneeland's girlfriend Catalina Mancera is pregnant, adding another layer of heartbreak to the situation. The team has established the Marshawn Kneeland memorial fund to support Mancera and their unborn child.
'She's pregnant and so we want to make sure she is taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives - it's very important to our guys and to us,' Schotttenheimer stated.
Mancera, 22, who began dating Kneeland when he attended Western Michigan University in her native Kalamazoo, spoke briefly about her 'raw agony' following the NFL star's death. 'It's too much,' she told reporters. 'I'm grieving hard right now. It will be a long time before I'll feel ready to talk at any length.'
Teammate Osa Odighizuwa shared his own experience of the loss, describing moments where he'd glance up expecting to see Kneeland. 'It hits you... just moments like that. It's still sinking in, to be honest. It still doesn't feel all the way real.'
As the Cowboys prepare for their first game since Kneeland's death against the Raiders on Monday night, Thomas offered both warning and hope to his teammates. He acknowledged they would 'feel the grief' from the 'absence of spirit that's missing', but emphasised they could 'move forward in a way to honour Marshawn by playing our best game and playing as hard as we can.'
