Cowboys running back Marshawn Kneeland has died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland has died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police in Frisco, Texas, said Thursday. He was 24 years old.

“It is with great sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the Cowboys said in a statement. “Marshawn was a beloved team member and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers for Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and family.”

The Frisco Police Department said it was called around 10:39 a.m. Wednesday with the Texas Department of Public Safety to help locate a vehicle that had entered the city during a pursuit. State law enforcement agencies said in a statement Thursday that they tried to stop the car for a traffic violation, but the driver refused to stop.

The vehicle was soon found unoccupied, crashed on southbound Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway. A man — later identified as Kneeland, a resident of nearby Plano — was reported to have fled the scene on foot.

Frisco police were told during the search that Kneeland had expressed “suicidal thoughts,” the department said in a statement. Police released audio from the incident, which was posted by TMZ on Thursday, revealing that Keeneland had sent a mass text to say goodbye to his family and that police were searching in the dark and used thermal imaging to help find him.

“Kneeland was later located at 1:31 a.m., deceased with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Fresno police said in a statement. “The cause/type of death will be determined by the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office.”

The Plano Police Department visited the Kneeland residence Wednesday night at 11 p.m. at the request of Frisco police, but officers were unable to make contact with anyone there. At 11:40 p.m., Plano police said, officers responded to a separate call for a welfare concern connected to Kneeland at the same address, but were unable to make contact again.

Kneeland was selected in the second round of the 2024 draft by the Cowboys out of Western Michigan, less than three months after his mother, Wendy Kneeland, died suddenly of an undisclosed illness. Kneeland told the Dallas Morning News last year that he carried some of his mother’s ashes with him in a small bag on a chain around his neck.

“She helped me a lot in my younger years getting into football,” Kneeland said. “I’ve always had a dream, I’ve always told her, ‘I’m going to the NFL,’ and I’ve made it. It’s a tough situation just knowing that she saw me potentially going to the NFL and passing. [the process]. She is still with me. I got these urns of her ashes that I take with me everywhere. I still feel like he is there watching over me.

Kneeland played in 18 games, including four starts, and had 26 tackles, four quarterback hits and a sack. On Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals, Keeneland had a blocked punt in the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.

“I watched him go from being a promising kid in Western Michigan to a dream of becoming a respected professional for the Dallas Cowboys,” Kneeland’s agent Jonathan Parzley said in a statement. Marshawn gave his heart every moment on the field, every practice and every moment, losing someone with his talent, spirit and kindness is a pain I can’t put into words.

Kneeland’s family also released a statement Thursday.

“We are devastated by this great loss and are still deeply processing our grief,” the family said. “As much as Marshawn made his mark on the football field with the Dallas Cowboys, he had a very special place off the field – as a devoted son, brother, uncle, great-uncle, grandson and friend. He was kind, determined, humble and full of love. His light shone in every life he touched, and his spirit will continue to live on in his heart countless times.”