Content warning: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide and needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
Stephen Jones was jolted awake in the middle of the night Thursday with news that nobody ever wants to get.
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland had died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. That news quickly reverberated throughout the Cowboys’ locker room and the rest of the NFL in the hours and days that followed.
“Any time you get news like that, obviously it’s like a hole going through [your heart],” Jones, the Cowboys’ executive vice president and son of owner Jerry Jones, said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Monday, via The Athletic.
“Just heartbroken. I certainly was hoping that wasn’t the case … It’s just heartbreaking and tragic. It’s the worst thing you can imagine.”
Officers were reportedly called to perform a welfare check at Kneeland’s apartment last Thursday, as the Cowboys were in the midst of their bye week. They did not make contact with Kneeland there, as he was reportedly involved in a car pursuit elsewhere in Dallas. Officers later found the vehicle, which had crashed, and said that Kneeland had fled the scene on foot.
Officers found him some time later after learning that he had “expressed suicidal ideations.” He was pronounced dead at the scene with “what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” He was 24.
“Obviously, this is very difficult,” Jones said. “I can’t imagine for his family. And then, of course, you talk about his extended family, which is his teammates and the Cowboys organization and everybody who cared and loved Marshawn so much.”
Kneeland was in his second season in the league this fall after the Cowboys took him with the No. 56 overall pick out of Western Michigan in the 2024 NFL Draft. He had 12 tackles and a sack in seven games this season.
“He played with a high motor,” Jones said. “He loved to get after it. Certainly, that jumped off the tape when we were scouting him. He just jumped off the tape in terms of how he hustled, how he played the game, his passion for the game. And he certainly was that way as a person. He played that way for us. We’re just going to miss him so much.”
Jones, who is the first person in the Cowboys’ front office to speak publicly about Kneeland’s death, said the team is working to find a way to honor Kneeland throughout the rest of the season. Teams across the league held a moment of silence ahead of their games last week in Kneeland’s honor.
The Cowboys, who sit at 3-5-1 on the season, will take on the Las Vegas Raiders next Monday night in Nevada. They will return home on Nov. 23 to host the Philadelphia Eagles, which will mark their first game at AT&T Stadium since Kneeland’s death.
While it’s certainly not the most important thing, Jones is trying to keep his group moving forward.
“It certainly puts everything in perspective,” he said. “We’re playing a game that’s work that means a lot to a lot of people, but there are things a lot more important than that. Certainly, that’s what we’re going through this week, so that will be first and foremost. But then we do know, like anything, we got to get back to work. We just want to continue to honor Marshawn and do everything the very best way we can.”
