Sports
Heartbreaking Way NFL Player Marshawn Kneeland Honored His Late Mom Prior to His Own Death at 24
Marshawn Kneeland’s mother, Wendy, died unexpectedly in February 2024 at age 45 — just two months before her son fulfilled their mutual dream of him becoming an NFL player, according to The Dallas Morning News.
“It was definitely tough. I just managed it,” the Dallas Cowboys defensive end told the outlet in a story published on June 30, 2024 of his mother’s death of an undisclosed illness.
“I always told her, ‘I’m going to the NFL’ and I made it,” he added. “It’s a hard situation just knowing she got to see me potentially going to the NFL and going through [the process].”
“She’s still with me. I got this urn of her ashes I carry with me everywhere,” he continued. “I still feel like she’s there watching over me.”
He wore the 2-inch urn on a chain around his neck.
As Globe previously reported, Kneeland, who had a history of mental illness, died at age 24 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police chase in Frisco, Texas, in the early morning hours of Thursday, November 6.
His girlfriend had called police to do a welfare check hours earlier, according to TMZ.
“I am shattered to confirm that my client and dearest friend Marshawn Kneeland passed away,” his agent, Jonathan Perzley, wrote in an Instagram Story on November 6. “To lose someone with his talent, spirit, and goodness is a pain I can hardly put into words.”
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