Marshawn Kneeland Texted His Family ‘Goodbye’ Before His Death, Police Dispatch Reveals

Police dispatch audio reveals that Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, texted his family to say goodbye shortly before his death.

Authorities confirmed that Kneeland, 24, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound early Thursday morning near a vehicle he had crashed following a police chase north of Dallas.

According to dispatch recordings, officers were alerted after Kneeland’s loved ones received a group text message from him. “They just received a text from him, a group text from him saying goodbye,” an official said. “They’re concerned for his welfare.”

Another dispatcher noted that Kneeland’s girlfriend, identified as Catalina, was attempting to reach his agent, Jonathan Perzley. “She’s trying to call his agent,” the dispatcher said. “So we’re trying to get him to call her to call him first, but she’s saying he is armed and has a history of mental illness and her quote was, ‘He will end it all.’ ”

As information spread across North Texas law enforcement agencies, another dispatcher reported that a representative from the NFL had contacted the Plano Police Department about the situation. “We have a lieutenant calling in from Plano advising that the NFL is calling Plano PD and the subject is texting his family goodbye,” the dispatcher added.

Police later located Kneeland’s body near his vehicle in Frisco at 1:31 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6 — about three hours after the start of the police pursuit.

Authorities said the incident began at approximately 10:33 p.m. on Wednesday, when Texas Department of Public Safety troopers attempted to pull over Kneeland’s vehicle in Addison for a traffic violation. Kneeland refused to stop, leading officers on a chase that ended when they lost sight of his car. The vehicle was later found crashed on the Dallas Parkway, just minutes from the Cowboys’ headquarters.

Kneeland, who had recently scored his first NFL touchdown on Monday Night Football, was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Earlier this year, Kneeland suffered another personal loss when his mother, Wendy Kneeland, died unexpectedly on Feb. 18, 2024. The Michigan native often wore her ashes in a necklace to keep her close.

“It was definitely tough,” Kneeland told The Dallas Morning News in 2024 about coping with her death. “I just managed it. She helped me a lot in my younger years getting into football. I always had the dream. I always told her, ‘I’m going to the NFL,’ and I made it.”