FRISCO, Texas – A week removed from the tragic news of Marshawn Kneeland's passing, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke to the media for the first time since the events occurred.
Through tears and cracks in his voice, he summed up where he and his team stand following the loss of a beloved teammate and player:
"My heart is heavy. Our team's heart is heavy. We don't move on, but do we move forward." Schottenheimer said.
Schottenheimer, who is in his first job as an NFL head coach, said that "there's no playbook" for an event like this. Because of that, he's leaning on what he trusts: His players, and what they've built together as a team.
"The biggest thing for me is being strong for our football team," Schottenheimer said. "We've got an incredible locker room, that's the culture of what we're trying to build. We are bonded more than any of us ever could be."
What's helped bond this team close together is the leaders they have in the room. In this specific instance, players like Dak Prescott and Solomon Thomas have been voices that have spoken up given their unfortunate past experiences at some of the team's gatherings like a Zoom call last Thursday, an in-person team meeting on Monday and a vigil on Tuesday night.
All in all though, Schottenheimer credited his team for all being there for one another throughout this process just like they would on the field.
"When one side of the ball is playing good, the other side of the ball has to pick them up. When one guy's hurting, someone else has to pick them up. If the head coach is hurting, someone's gotta pick me up. And I'm hurting. I'm hurting," Schottenheimer said. "And these guys have picked me up, and I've picked them up. That's what we're going to continue to do because we love one another, and that's what a family does."
As Schottenheimer said to start his press conference, the Cowboys are not moving on, but they are moving forward. How do they do that?
"One day at a time," Schottenheimer said. "Because I think it's going to hit everybody different. I literally wasn't sure if I could get through my part of last night speaking at his candlelight vigil, and I did. You just take it one day at a time, and you don't have to have all the answers. We don't have all the answers. We probably won't have all the answers. You lean into one another; you love on one another."
In a time that is and will be for quite some time, Schottenheimer said that he'll lean even more into his players than he already was before. Additionally, the opportunity for the team to be around their loved ones during the bye week was something that eased the hurt, albeit not by much.
"I'm going to always tell them how much I love them. And I do love them, I care about them. Probably will never be the same, to be honest with you…" Schottenheimer said.
"The one thing that helped I think a lot of these guys about being on the bye when this happened was most of them were with people that they loved and cared about. They were with family members. I know I hugged my kids, my wife, and that helps soothe the pain for a little bit."
Speaking of family, Schottenheimer revealed that Kneeland's girlfriend, Catalina, is pregnant with their child. There's now a Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund set up to ensure that Catalina and the baby will have everything they need going forward, and the Cowboys will be there every step of the way to ensure that's the case as well.
"We want to make sure she's taken care of, and the baby's taken care of for the rest of their lives. Our guys are very – it's very important to them and to us." Schottenheimer said.
On Thursday, the Cowboys will return to the practice field, noticeably down a player. The return to football is one that Schottenheimer sees having a mixed impact on the locker room, but one that does have an absolute conclusion.
"Everybody deals with it different. Some guys, getting out on the grass is going to be the best thing in the world for them. Some guys, getting out on the grass is gonna be painful, and that's okay," Schottenheimer said. "We're going to give each other grace and time, but I do promise you this: These guys will be ready to play against the Raiders. And we will honor Marshawn with how we play, not just against the Raiders, but for the rest of the season."
