'One Love': Cowboys honor Marshawn Kneeland with vigil, tributes and memorial fund as team mourns together

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys were rocked by the death of 24-year-old edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland last week, the result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Since then, the team has done everything it can to come together and support one another in the wake of his loss.

The Cowboys held a team Zoom call on Nov. 6 that included internal doctors and counselors, among them team psychologist Dr. Heather Twedel. Between Nov. 6 and Monday, staff members made individual calls to players. A full team meeting was held Monday, followed by smaller breakout sessions with players and employees. That same schedule repeated Tuesday, with counseling components and guest speakers, per a team spokesperson.

On Tuesday night, the Cowboys held a memorial and candlelight vigil inside Ford Center, their indoor practice facility. The event was organized at the request of Catalina Mancera, Kneeland's girlfriend, who wanted to be surrounded by the team's community. The 90-minute ceremony was followed by a reception with family, friends and team personnel.

"I want to offer my condolences to Marshawn's family, Catalina, his girlfriend, and we had an opportunity last night to celebrate Marshawn's life," Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday. "We told stories, shared, laughed, cried. Marshawn loved the words 'One Love,' so we talked a lot about love as we grieved. 

"He had the most playful spirit of any young man I've been around. His smile could take you to your knees. No one had a better motor than him. So my heart is heavy, our team's heart is heavy. We don't move on, but we do move forward."

Jonathan Evans, a pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and the Cowboys' team chaplain, opened and closed the vigil. Speakers included Schottenheimer, owner and general manager Jerry Jones, Mancera, Kneeland's high school coach Brandon Kimble, agent Jon Perzley, advisor Jay Bass, uncle Preston Kneeland, and defensive tackles Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas.

Cowboys' Jerry Jones 'devastated' by Marshawn Kneeland's death: 'We all are having to share the sorrow'

Shanna McCarriston

"We're always going to be stronger together. We are stronger together. So Monday we set it up where we had a chance to be together and share and talk," Schottenheimer said. "We offered some people that can help us sort through what we're feeling and the emotions of what we're feeling. Yesterday, we had what we call a brotherhood breakfast, just sat down for 45 minutes and ate together. We shared, and we talked and laughed and cried."

The Cowboys also launched the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund to support Mancera and Kneeland's unborn child.

"We want to make sure she is taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives," Schottenheimer said. "It's very important to our guys and to us."

Honoring Kneeland

The Cowboys will wear a decal on their helmets honoring Kneeland for the remainder of the 2025 season, though the exact design -- whether his initials, jersey number or another symbol -- is still being finalized. They'll also wear memorial T-shirts before their Week 11 "Monday Night Football" game at Las Vegas -- their first since Kneeland's death -- and again before their Week 12 home game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dallas plans to hold a moment of silence and play a tribute video for Kneeland prior to kickoff in Week 12 at AT&T Stadium. Other tribute elements are still being finalized.

"I told the players the other day -- I mean it, and they're probably going to get tired of it -- but I'm always going to tell them how much I love them," Schottenheimer said. "I probably never will be the same, to be honest with you. … Most of our guys were with people they loved and cared about when this happened. I know I hugged my kids and my wife. That helps soothe the pain for a little bit."

Returning to football

Kneeland's death occurred during the Cowboys' Week 10 bye, allowing the team time to begin processing the tragedy before returning to practice Thursday.

"One day at a time," Schottenheimer said. "It's going to hit everybody differently. … You lean into one another, you love on one another. … Some guys getting out on the grass will be the best thing in the world for them. Some guys getting out on the grass will be painful, and that's OK. We're going to give each other grace and time. But I promise you this: these guys will be ready to play against the Raiders. We'll honor Marshawn with how we play, not just against the Raiders but for the rest of the season."

Two Cowboys -- quarterback Dak Prescott and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas -- have both lost siblings to suicide: Prescott's brother, Jace, in 2020, and Thomas' sister, Ella, in 2018.

"It's OK to feel however you're feeling," Prescott said Thursday at a ceremony in Haughton, Louisiana, via CBS News Texas. "Hard to balance my emotions today. … Tough moment for this team. I feel and hurt for everybody that's involved in this and Marshawn's family and loved ones." 

Both Prescott's and Thomas' leadership has been crucial for the Cowboys as they grieve the loss of a beloved teammate.

"Those are two of the best leaders in the league," he said. "Unfortunately, they're able to talk about something that has been very devastating for them. … It was hard to hear the pain that some of these guys are dealing with, but it was also uplifting to hear the strength from other guys. That's the beauty of a team. … I'm hurting, and these guys have picked me up -- and I've picked them up. That's what we're going to continue to do because we love one another. It's what a family does."