FRISCO, Texas — One year ago, tragedy struck. As the Dallas Cowboys entered their bye week, looking for a way to change their fortune on the football field, they and the family of Marshawn Kneeland were awakened in the early hours of Nov. 6, 2025, with news that shattered hearts and minds: Kneeland was lost to suicide.
Everything instantly fell silent in a world hyper-focused on wins and losses on the field, and an instant reminder was delivered that life is and will always be bigger than football, and that mental health — while it's made major strides in recent years — remains one of the biggest struggles today.
The loss of Kneeland, a big smile and bright spirit, to suicide sparked meaningful change in the hearts and minds of many.
The Grand Rapids native and Western Michigan talent has since been honored by family, friends, fans and the Cowboys organization in a myriad of ways that continue to and beyond this day, such as the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund and, this week, one year later, the team is still finding new ways to honor him.
Kneeland is gone, but he will never be forgotten, and the goal is for his legacy to motivate others to seek help and to know they (you) are not alone, even if you might think you are.
On the eve of the one-year mark, several of Kneeland's closest friends/teammates spoke about him, and the importance of mental health awareness.
In need? Call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 (Military veterans in distress, press 1), or dial 911 in an emergency situation.
Dak Prescott:
"Yeah, it's a tough day, obviously, just thinking about last year, and being on our bye week, and getting that call, getting that text; and then jumping on a Zoom call with the rest of the guys. And I remember Solomon Thomas was vital in his words and what he spoke up to the team in that moment. And being somebody that's been through it, you have all kinds of feelings and emotions that may come up [on Nov. 6], and some you're not expecting.
"It's about, in those moments, talking about it, right? And talking through it with other people, with your teammates, and people that can somewhat understand and relate. I think just doing that is honoring Marshawn. I think the team — I know the Cowboys, [team mental health clinician Dr. Heather Twedell], they've done a great job of putting something together, Huddle94, and allowing us to create conversations.
"[They allow us] to get together in smaller groups that talk about life and talk about things that are stressors to us that may have — if it was something that we had then, it may have helped Marshawn. It may have been something that would have been a resource for him to prevent what happened. So I'm just trying to honor him by creating those conversations, and by creating that group.
"I think it's going to be big. I think it's going to be needed, just even hearing from the introduction about it, how guys felt about it. I'm excited to do it. And, as I said, at the same time, you're honoring Marshawn, you're getting to bring up conversations of how we felt about him and what he meant to us. He was a guy that I always saw around — a guy that did everything to take care of his body, and was always trying to help this team out.
"He had a great spirit and energy about him. Yeah, he's missed. He is missed greatly from a lot of people around here, and then this organization, as I said, I appreciate them honoring him, and every time I step on that field, I say a prayer and I end it with, 'God allowed me to do this for people like Marshawn, or for Marshawn, and the people that can't do this anymore.'
"Life is delicate, and we should never take these moments that we have, no matter if it's football or whatever we do in life, for granted. Be thankful, and make sure we're always telling the people around us that we love them."
[note: Huddle94 details will arrive on Nov. 6]
Tyler Smith:
"He will always mean a lot to me, bro. Me and Marshawn — he came in a couple years after me, but he was very dear to me. He was a funny guy. I think that's something that I always think about is how funny he was, how bright his personality was, and how much we had in common. I just think people fight a lot of invisible battles, especially when you're at the highest echelon of what you do, whether that be politics, whether that be professional athletics, whether that be acting, whatever it is, you're always fighting those invisible battles that no one sees every day.
"I wish we talked about it all the time. I wish we had advocated more. I wish we asked about it more. This is such a gladiator sport that requires ultimate physical and mental toughness, and that's something people feel assured when you walk through the door.
"You can be physically and mentally tough, but sometimes that monkey on your back can get too big to care about yourself. I definitely think it's made me think about — how I can lean on my support system more, and how I can engage with my teammates more when I feel like maybe they're kind of in a rut, or they're feeling down on themselves; because everybody has those days.
"Everybody reacts differently. Everybody acts differently. For me, I didn't know anything was wrong [in Marshawn's mind]. I knew about some things, but I didn't know everything. So I definitely think it's made me be more forthcoming about having that conversation or asking somebody, 'How are you really doing, bro? Beyond just the X's and O's and practices and games, bro, how are you doing? Like, how are you feeling about yourself outside of your professional life? How are you feeling in your personal life?'"
CeeDee Lamb:
"Mental health, in general, is often blindly being ignored, you know what I'm saying? I feel like they see us as figures. More so than people, like icons of some sort, to some people, And obviously losing a teammate, that was the first teammate in my life that I've actually lost.
It's not really something you can get over, because you know that there's a family here, there's a mom crying; and there's brothers, and [his girlfriend] and everybody involved, that's still grieving.
"We've gotta keep them in our prayers. We do everything we can to honor him."
Ryan Flournoy:
"Remembering Marshawn is really key because it's somebody who the Cowboys love and who we all love, and he brought energy to this facility every single day. I remember meeting him at the Senior Bowl, and it happened by chance. I met him because we were at the Reese's Parade and I sat next to him on a bus on the way back to the hotel, and we were just chopping it up.
"He was like, 'Oh, yeah, I'm from Western Michigan.' I'm like, oh, I'm from [Central Missouri], a small school too, man. Let's do this thing.' It happens where we got drafted to the same team. It sucks to know that he's not here any more because we didn't know what he was going through.
"Mental health is definitely a big part of this league and a big part of life, because you never know what people are going through. I lost some family members to suicide, and it hurts, but you have to try to be there for people. Mental health is definitely a big deal, so check on your people, for sure. Check on your people."
Jake Ferguson:
"I have a ton of respect for Marshawn. Initially, when he came in as a rookie, man, I've got a funny story to tell you. He's one of those guys who has a high motor, is going all the time — walkthroughs, practice, whatever. Maybe we're not even in pads and he's going full speed. We were out in OTAs, and I remember he was going a little too hard. That was in my third year, and I was like, 'Hey, rookie, you're going too hard.'
"And then he pulled [Brevyn Spann-Ford] to the ground. So I'm like, 'Alright, I got it.' I remember I head butted him on the backside of his helmet and he broke his nose. I remember he was pissed. We came out the next day, and he came up to me, calm and collected. Man, we talked, and we were great friends after that, laughing about it, joking about it. He had such a great heart.
"And when it comes to men's mental health, I think society doesn't talk about it enough. We don't get enough support. I think us, as men, I try to do what I can with the small group of men that I see within my life, and ask how they're doing and ask, 'How can I help you? What can I do to cheer you up, or just talk?' I think we as men don't get that enough, and I think a lot of the time it's scrutinized.
"A lot of times people say, 'Oh, men don't need help. Men are OK. Men this, men that. Men don't cry. But it's tough out here, you know? I think society has also made it really hard for men to speak out and being able to do that, I think as men, need to do that more. We as men need to talk to each other."
Marist Liufau:
"Marshawn was drafted, obviously, in the second round [in 2024], and then as soon as I was drafted, he was one of the first people to reach out and congratulate me. The first time I met him was at the Senior Bowl. We got cool there. He was actually staying in the room next to me, and then we ended up being teammates.
"He hit me up on Instagram. That was one of my earliest memories of him. We got to grow together and be here together, play together. His last year here, he was my training camp roommate, so I got to learn a lot about Marshawn and get close to him. It definitely was tough [losing him], but he's always on our minds when we're out there playing.
"We will never forget him, you know? It's one of those things that leaves a scar, but it makes you better because you just want to honor his memory by playing hard because that's what he did. It's always there in my heart to play for Marshawn, and I'll keep that forever, and for as long as I play this game."
