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

Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, sent a final message to his family on Wednesday night before his death, according to police dispatch audio obtained by news outlets.

Authorities said the 24-year-old was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near a vehicle he had crashed following a police pursuit north of Dallas. In the moments before his death, Kneeland reportedly contacted his loved ones.

“They just received a text from him, a group text from him saying goodbye,” a dispatcher said in the audio. “They’re concerned for his welfare.”

Another dispatcher reported that Kneeland’s girlfriend, Catalina, told officers she 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 multiple North Texas law enforcement agencies became aware that Kneeland was in distress, a dispatcher noted that an NFL representative had contacted the Plano Police Department.

“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 said.

Kneeland’s body was discovered near his vehicle in Frisco at 1:31 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6 — about three hours after the police chase began, authorities said.

According to a statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the incident started around 10:33 p.m. when troopers tried to stop Kneeland in Addison for a traffic violation. Kneeland refused to pull over, and troopers pursued him until they lost sight of his vehicle. It was later found crashed in the southbound lanes of the Dallas Parkway, only minutes from the Cowboys’ headquarters.

The second-year player had just celebrated a major career moment — scoring his first NFL touchdown on Monday Night Football earlier in the week. He was selected by Dallas in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Kneeland’s death came less than a year after losing his mother, Wendy Kneeland, who died unexpectedly on Feb. 18, 2024. The Michigan native kept her ashes in a necklace, a symbol of the bond they shared.

“It was definitely tough,” he told The Dallas Morning News in 2024, speaking about her passing. “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.”