4t Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died Thursday morning, the team announced in a statement. He was 24.
DALLAS MOURNS A RISING STAR: Marshawn Kneeland, 24, Gone Too Soon
Irving, TX – November 7, 2025. The blue star on the practice-field helmet wall looked dimmer at 7:03 a.m. when the Dallas Cowboys released a one-paragraph statement that shattered a franchise, a city, and a sport.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. He was 24 years old.”
No cause. No details. Just a name, an age, and a silence that swallowed AT&T Stadium whole.
Marshawn was supposed to be the future. Drafted 56th overall in 2024 out of Western Michigan, the 6-3, 267-pound edge rusher had already turned heads. Six sacks, two forced fumbles, one blocked punt returned for a touchdown—all in nine games. Teammates called him “Baby Micah.” Coaches whispered “All-Pro by 2027.” Fans tattooed #56 on their forearms before he ever started.
Thursday was supposed to be film day. Instead, it became grief day.
The last 48 hours no one saw. Tuesday night, Marshawn FaceTimed his mom from the team hotel, laughing about his first career touchdown. “Mama, I’m buying you that lake house.” Wednesday practice, he stayed late, running extra gassers with rookies, shouting, “Pain is temporary, film is forever!” Wednesday 11:47 p.m., a single text to strength coach Harold Nash: “Coach, I can’t shake this darkness. Pray for me.” Nash called back. No answer. Thursday 4:12 a.m., Frisco PD found his truck on a dark service road. A self-inflicted gunshot. A note in the glovebox: “Tell Catalina I tried. Tell the baby Daddy loved him.”
The locker room eulogy. CeeDee Lamb spoke first, voice raw: “He carried my bags as a rookie. Told me ‘Stars don’t dim, they explode.’ Now he’s the brightest one up there.” Micah Parsons, eyes swollen, added: “Every snap I take, I’ll wear his number under my pads. 56 forever.”
The ripple. Practice canceled. Players gathered in the chapel instead. Jerry Jones, voice cracking on radio row: “Football feels small today.” Catalina, 7 months pregnant, released a photo: Marshawn kissing her belly, caption “Our angel got his wings.” #MK56 trended 72 hours straight. GoFundMe for the baby hit $2.8 million in 6 hours.
The vow. Dak Prescott, shoulder still in a sling, stood at the 50-yard line at noon: “Every sack we get, every win we chase, it’s for Marshawn. He never quit on us. We’ll never quit on him.”
The goalposts were wrapped in black tape. The midfield star painted 56. And when the team plane took off for Sunday’s game, every player wore a black armband stitched with tiny white wings.
Marshawn Kneeland didn’t just play football. He lit it up—for 24 blazing years.
The star still shines. It just moved to a higher sky.
