What you need to know
The Dallas Cowboys are remembering their late teammate Marshawn Kneeland.
Kneeland was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Dallas on Thursday, November 6th. He was 24 years old.
On Friday, Nov. 7, Cowboys cornerback Josh Butler posted a photo to his Instagram Stories that showed a glimpse of Kneeland’s locker decorated with flowers in the locker room. Butler, 28, captioned the Instagram photo: “I love you.”
Quarterback Dak Prescott also expressed how heartbroken he and the team are by Kneeland’s death.
“This is just pain that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I wish none of us had to go through this,” Prescott, 32, said on Thursday, November 6.
Josh Butler/Instagram
In response to news of Kneeland’s death, the NFL held a moment of silence in his honor on Thursday Night Football prior to the Denver Broncos vs. Las Vegas Raiders game on Thursday, November 6th.
Kneeland’s photo was posted on the scoreboard at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, authorities said Kneeland died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday night after leading Texas DPS units on a chase north of Dallas.
The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native fled after a car crash in Frisco, minutes from the Cowboys’ headquarters, and was found near his car at 1:31 a.m. Thursday.
During the investigation, officers received information that Kneeland “expressed suicidal thoughts,” according to the Frisco Police Department.
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Hours before his death, Kneeland’s girlfriend called police fearing for her life, according to police dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE.
“We’re talking to my girlfriend. She’s trying to call his agent, but we’re trying to get her to call him first, but she says he’s armed and has a history of mental illness, and her words were, ‘He’s going to end it all,'” one dispatcher was heard saying during the call.
A dispatcher can also be heard saying that Neeland’s family “received messages and group messages from him saying goodbye. They are concerned for his well-being.”
“We are devastated by this great loss and are still coming to terms with the depth of our grief,” relative Nicole Kneeland-Woods wrote on behalf of the Kneeland family on Facebook after Kneeland’s death was announced.
“Marshawn made his mark on the Dallas Cowboys football field, but he held an even more special place off the field as a devoted son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson and friend.”
“He was kind, determined, humble and loving. His light shined brightly in every life he touched, and his spirit will live on in the countless hearts he inspired.”
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