Marshawn Kneeland, the Dallas Cowboys player who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was set to become a father, his head coach has confirmed. Brian Schottenheimer shared the news that Marshawn's girlfriend Catalina Mancera is pregnant with the couple's first baby. During a press conference on Wednesday, November 12, Brian shared that the team had created the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, which will aim to financially support both Catalina and the baby for life.
"The Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving Marshawn's legacy and extending his impact through direct support for his surviving partner and unborn heir," the website reads. "He had the most playful spirit of any young man I had been around," Brian said of Marshawn, adding: "His smile could bring you to your knees." He said the team wants "to make sure [Catalina is] taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives".
On November 5, Marshawn, selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the NFL draft in2024, was driving a car that was reported for evading police. According to a statement from Frisco police, officers responded to a call from the Texas Department of Public Safety, and highway footage shows a car speeding northbound on the Dallas North Tollway. Minutes later, the car crashed one block away from The Star – the Cowboys' sprawling 91-acre headquarters – into another parked car, and Marshawn was seen fleeing on foot.
The Cowboys' director of security, Cable Johnson, later called law enforcement that same night to ask for a welfare check on Marshawn, with police dispatch records revealing Marshawn had sent group texts which Cable told dispatchers were "concerning… the group texts seemed to be saying goodbye."
"The last context of the text that he sent said something to the fact that I can't go to prison or jail," Johnson told dispatchers. "I'm sure you can do, like, a regional check to see if any other agency is dealing with him right now?" Officers found Marshawn's body hours later, at 1:31 a.m on November 6.
In a post on Facebook on Monday, November 10, Catalina paid tribute to her "sweet baby," writing that "words could never express how broken I feel, you’re my everything, I’ll love you forever, my beautiful angel".
"It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning," the team 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."
Per ESPN, Marshawn had 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.
The Cowboys will return to the field on November 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and have confirmed that they will wear helmet decals for the remainder of the season in remembrance of their teammate and friend. The Cowbyos players designed the decal. In addition to a moment of silence, the Cowboys will also show a video tribute for Marshawn before the Eagles game, as well.