Dallas Cowboys Player Marshawn Kneeland’s Girlfriend Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby After His Death at 24

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has confirmed that Marshawn Kneeland’s girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, is pregnant with their first child.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 12, Schottenheimer shared the news just one week after the 24-year-old defensive end died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to The Dallas Morning News.

“We want to make sure she’s taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Schottenheimer said.

He also revealed that the organization has launched the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, created to provide ongoing financial support for Mancera and the unborn baby. When visitors click “donate” on the fund’s website, they’re met with a message stating, “The Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving Marshawn’s legacy and extending his impact through direct support for his surviving partner and unborn heir.”

On Thursday, Nov. 6, the Cowboys announced Kneeland’s death in a statement. “It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning. Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”

Kneeland’s agent, Jonathan Perzley, also released a statement through NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, saying he was “shattered to confirm that my client and dearest friend Marshawn Kneeland passed away last night.”

Perzley said the second-year player died at night on Wednesday, Nov. 5 — just two days after a standout performance during the Cowboys’ Monday Night Football matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, where he recovered a blocked punt and scored a touchdown.

Authorities later stated that Kneeland died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading Texas DPS troopers on a chase north of Dallas that evening. DPS aircraft, troopers, and the Frisco Police Department located him roughly three hours later, near his crashed vehicle on the Dallas Parkway. He was found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Earlier that night, troopers attempted to stop Kneeland for a traffic violation, but he fled. His car later crashed in the southbound lanes of the Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway. According to the Frisco Police Department, officers had also been informed during the search that he had “expressed suicidal ideations.”

His body was discovered at 1:31 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, in the immediate vicinity of the crash site.

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Catalina Mancera shared a heartbreaking tribute to Kneeland in a Facebook post: “My sweet baby, words could never express how broken I feel, you’re my everything. I’ll love you forever my beautiful angel,” she wrote, along with a white heart emoji. Friends and family flooded the comments with messages of love and support.

In the hours before his death, Mancera attempted to alert police to her fears that he was armed and planning to take his life. Police audio included a dispatcher stating, “We’re talking to the girlfriend… she is saying he is armed and has a history of mental illness and her quote was, ‘He will end it all.’” Another dispatcher noted that Kneeland’s family had received a group text message from him saying goodbye.

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