A poignant final post from NFL and Dallas Cowboys star Marshawn Kneeland has surfaced following the confirmation of his tragic death at the age of 24. The defensive lineman, who scored his first touchdown during Monday night’s clash against the Arizona Cardinals, shared a touching message in 2024.
On Thursday, the Frisco Police Department issued a statement that said Kneeland appeared to have tragically taken his own life after a vehicle pursuit and search on Wednesday. The Texas department confirmed that he was discovered shortly after midnight with an ‘apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound’.
It has now come to light that one of the 24-year-old’s last tweets on X was in response to a heartening post from one of his former defensive line coaches, Western Michigan’s David Denham.
The University of Michigan coach shared a photo last May of a group of players, all beaming, after a visit with the caption: “Always a great evening when the guys come over! #EAT.”
Kneeland retweeted the post from his former coach, along with the caption: “Enjoy this. It goes by fast.” This followed a picture taken of the draft from ESPN 2, where he celebrated his selection and promised a bright future to his followers, a month earlier.
“From 2 star to 2nd round,” he penned. “Thank you everyone for the love and support. We’re just getting started.”
Kneeland was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of last year’s draft, featuring in 18 matches for the franchise, including four as a starter. During his sophomore campaign with the club, the 24-year-old registered his maiden touchdown after pouncing on a blocked punt for six points on Monday. The Dallas Cowboys issued a statement conveying their “extreme sadness” following his death.
The announcement read: “It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning. Marshawn was a beloved team-mate and member of our organisation. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
There has since been an outpouring of emotion from those associated with the National Football League tweeting: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the passing of Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland.”
Nebraska boss Matt Rhule delivered a heartfelt message about male mental health in the wake of Kneeland’s passing.”Seeing the tragic news out of Dallas today, and understanding that none of us know what people are going through,” he commenced.
“That’s why I think we should all be careful about what we say to people. I think we should all be careful about what we tweet about people. I think we should be cognizant of what everyone’s going through. I think it’s the time in this world to be kind to people, and at the same time, care about people and ask about people.
“Our generation of kids, my kids, they all just say, ‘I’m fine, I’m straight.’ You’ve really gotta unearth it. I look at travel and time together at practice as chances to impact young people’s lives.
“I would encourage everybody to. I would encourage everybody, today, with your own kids or the people you work with, just to check on them.
“That young man scored a touchdown just a couple of days ago. And to the outside world you’d think he’s at the pinnacle. But he was dealing with something – I don’t know what it was. But I pray for him, him and his family.”
