Published on: Nov 28, 2025 05:23 am IST
Malone capped his set with a direct shoutout, declaring, “We love you 94, we love you,” to a roaring crowd, honoring the 24-year-old’s memory amid the holiday festivities.
What happened to Marshawn Kneeland?
Kneeland, a second-round draft pick out of Western Michigan in 2024, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police chase on November 5.
The sequence of events began late on November 5, when Texas Department of Public Safety troopers attempted to stop Kneeland for a traffic violation near Frisco at around 10:33 PM. He allegedly sped off, leading officers on a short chase before crashing into a pickup truck on the Dallas North Tollway access road. The truck’s driver walked away unharmed, but Kneeland ran from the scene. A large search effort involving drones and K-9 units followed, and officers located his body at 1:31 AM in a nearby field.
Roughly an hour before the chase, Plano police had checked his residence after a welfare call but found no one home. According to dispatch audio obtained by NBC News, Kneeland had sent “goodbye” messages to family members, prompting his girlfriend, Catalina, to warn authorities he was armed and struggling with mental-health issues.
Kneeland had been one of the team’s most promising young defenders, drafted 56th overall in 2024 and appearing in seven games this season with 12 tackles and a sack. Just two days before his death, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a blocked punt return against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football.
The Cowboys held a moment of silence for Kneeland before their Nov. 17 game against the Raiders.
