Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones delivered an emotional message Tuesday in his first public address following the tragic passing of second-year defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide at the age of 24.
During an appearance with 105.3 The Fan, Jones shared he was “devastated” to hear the news, adding that it was “just hard to believe the content that was on the other phone in the middle of the night when we all got the news.”
Police confirmed Kneeland was found dead Thursday morning from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a pursuit involving authorities.
Officials received intel during the search that Kneeland “had expressed suicidal ideations,” according to the Frisco Police Department.
Kneeland’s death came just days after he recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown in the second quarter of Dallas’s “Monday Night Football” loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 3.
Jones confirmed the Cowboys will honor Kneeland for the rest of the season with special helmet decals, and the team will wear commemorative T-shirts ahead of their upcoming road matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, as well as their home game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 23.
“We all are having to share the sorrow, all are having to share the different ways or different things that come through your mind. It’s not light that as a teammate, Marshawn touched everybody in many different ways,” Jones said on Tuesday. “The very definition of team is we love each other, we rely on each other. That’s the ethos of what a team is about. Everybody expects that this is a rough game, it takes some real mental toughness to play the game, but in fact there’s a lot of love for each other there that is shared in unique ways, and you get to know each other pretty good.
“Sports emphasizes so many things that we all want, to some degree, to hang our hat on. But this is a reality check that at the end of the day, the human things of having someone’s company on earth, being able to be involved with them for the time that we’re here, they’re here, all of those things come to mind in times like this.”
The Cowboys gathered Monday for the first time in person following Kneeland’s passing, where the team collectively grieved in an “extremely emotional” meeting guided by head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Jones was remarkably proud of how the first-year head coach handled the conversation.
“Schotty does have a realism about him because he simply was born into it in terms of being around anything unique about a football team,” Jones said. “I think we all have unfettered feelings about the people we love, people we work with. This is just a time when you acknowledge that there’s no answers. It makes you want to live life to the fullest, it makes you want to look for the very best in what we have for each other, and in some way make some sense out of these times.”
The Cowboys selected Kneeland in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Western Michigan. He played 18 games with the franchise, totaling 26 tackles, four quarterback hits, and one sack.
The Cowboys (3-5-1) return to the field for the first time since Kneeland’s passing against the Raiders on Nov. 17.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
