Marshawn Kneeland received 2 welfare checks from WMU police: report

Western Michigan University police reportedly conducted checks Marshawn Kneeland twice while playing football at school before his untimely death.

The former Dallas Cowboys defensive end committed suicide on Nov. 6 following a brief police chase. He was 24 years old.

According to police report documents obtained by ESPNKneeland’s coaches and friends called police multiple times, dating back to 2020, asking authorities to administer a wellness check on the athlete.

In that first incident, in September 2020, Kneeland’s anonymous friend called 911 to request a welfare check. Police later found Kneeland near the railroad tracks in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

“Kneeland told me he was sitting on the other side of the train tracks hoping a train would run him over to end his life,” the responding officer wrote in a report, according to the outlet. “Kneeland told me about life in general and not playing football at WMU had made him depressed. He told me he had felt this way for a while. When asked to elaborate on how long he had felt this way, he did not answer. Kneeland said he was not seeing a therapist or taking any medication for his mental health crisis.”

According to the report, Kneeland did not want medical help at that time, but deputies sent him to a local hospital.

The second incident occurred in June 2023, according to the report, less than a year before Kneeland was drafted into the NFL by the Cowboys.

Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor then defensive coordinator Lou Esposito called police with concern after Kneeland recently separated from his girlfriend. The report also showed concerns that Kneeland was not “mentally competent to possess a firearm.”

“After speaking with Kneeland, he voluntarily turned the firearm over to WMUPD to keep until he was cleared by a counselor,” the officer wrote.

Kneeland had his firearm recovered by police after obtaining a letter from a social worker at Western Michigan Sindecuse Health Center. The social worker said Kneeland was determined not to pose a threat to himself or others.

Just hours before Kneeland’s death on November 6, Cowboys security director, Johnson cablealso called the police to request a welfare check.

Johnson told authorities that Kneeland sent goodbye text messages to friends and family and said he was “in no position to go to jail or prison.”

During a press conference on November 12, Cowboys head coach, Brian Schottenheimerannounced the creation of the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund and revealed that Kneeland’s girlfriend, Catalinawas pregnant.

Related: Cowboys stars leave flowers at Marshawn Kneeland’s locker after his death

Several of Marshawn Kneeland’s Dallas Cowboys teammates are mourning his sudden death at age 24. “I love you, man,” cornerback Josh Butler wrote via his Instagram Stories on Friday, Nov. 8, sharing a photo of Kneeland’s locker in a post on JMSN’s “Love Me.” In the photo, four different bouquets of flowers had been left in the […]

“I would like to take a moment and offer my condolences to Marshawn’s family, Catalina, his girlfriend,” Schottenheimer said. “We had the opportunity last night to celebrate Marshawn’s life, to tell stories. Share, laugh, cry. Marshawn loved the words ‘love’. So we talked a lot about love, even as we grieve. I had the opportunity to share some of the things I will miss most about Marshawn.

He continued: “My heart is heavy, my team’s heart is heavy. We’re not moving forward, but we’re moving forward.”

In the team’s first game back since Kneeland’s death on Monday, November 17, players and coaching staff honored him by wearing special t-shirts before the game. The team will also wear helmet stickers bearing his number for the remainder of the season.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a few tears when I first put the jersey on, as you can imagine,” Schottenheimer said. “But more than anything, I know Marshawn despised us and we wanted to make him proud, and I think we did that.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.