Close family members of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland are speaking out following his unexpected death. Kneeland, 24, died by suicide on Thursday, November 6, 2025. He had fled from police after they attempted to stop him for a traffic infraction.
His cousin, Nicole Kneeland-Woods, told The Dallas Morning News that the former Western Michigan standout had not yet recovered from the loss of his mother in February 2024.
“They say [it was related to] mental health, but he was grieving,” Kneeland-Woods stated in an interview published Sunday, November 9. “It was the pain of his mother that he was facing.”
Wendy Kneeland passed away from an undisclosed illness weeks after Marshawn concluded his college career. This occurred while he was preparing for the NFL Draft. The Cowboys selected Kneeland in the second round, and he recorded 14 tackles in his rookie season.
In his second year with the franchise, Marshawn played in seven games. He achieved his first professional touchdown on Monday, November 3, 2025, just days before his death.
“He had an epic moment this past Monday and felt on top of the world,” Kneeland-Woods affirmed. “At any moment, that shows you that people are human and have moments of weakness. In that instant, unfortunately, it seemed he could not turn to anyone.”
She added, “But that does not define who he was.”
Marshawn consistently spoke publicly about his mother’s importance to him. During his pre-draft workouts, he began wearing a chain with a small urn containing his mother’s ashes. This was his way of keeping Wendy with him as he began to fulfill his dream.
“It was tough, it still is, but I know at the end of the day what helps me get through it is that she spent her whole life trying to get me here and supported me as much as she could to get me to the NFL,” Marshawn told WZZM at the time. “She was the one who drove me everywhere, trying to find a place where I could play football when I was little. She was present at all my high school games, whenever she could.”
Marshawn delivered remarks at Wendy’s memorial service. He reflected on her inability to attend his draft night party.
“It broke my heart,” he said at the funeral, according to The Dallas Morning News. “Something that helped me get through it is that I could still feel her presence. I asked her to be with me, and I felt as if she really was there. I still feel it. She was always such a loving person, so I know she still watches over me.”
Kneeland-Woods noted that Wendy’s sudden physical absence was a difficult adjustment for Marshawn.
“That person who was always your biggest cheerleader, her voice is now silenced,” she observed. “How does one face that? How does one process it? That is deafening.”
She concluded, “She was truly his foundation, his calm in the storm. That was his source; that was his peace.”