Warning: This article discusses suicide, which may be distressing for some readers.
A relative of Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland has made a serious claim following the player’s untimely death.
On Thursday, November 6, the 24-year-old NFL hopeful was discovered deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after reportedly crashing his vehicle and fleeing the scene on foot.
Kneeland allegedly did not stop for a traffic violation in Frisco, Texas, leading to a police chase late on Wednesday night.
Tragically, police found his body in a porta-potty near a construction site in the early hours of November 6, just a few days after the Dallas Cowboys defensive end scored a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
His first cousin, Jasmin Kneeland, has now accused law enforcement of being responsible for the athlete’s death.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Jasmin mentioned that he had planned to attend a family gathering in Michigan to celebrate his first NFL touchdown. She expressed her difficulty in comprehending how her cousin could have ended his own life.
“I truly think they killed him, I truly do,” the 33-year-old stated, implying the police were involved while speaking from her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“Because why else would he run for his life and then take his own life in a porta-potty?”
“Marshawn is not a violent person. He is not a hot head. Something here is just not right. Something made him really scared and he ran,” she continued. “This is nothing like him at all. He loves his family. He’s like a big kid. He likes making TikTok videos of the little ones in our family, he likes being around them a lot. He was generous with them, always buying stuff.”
Jasmin added: “I mean, why would he do something like that all of a sudden? That’s not the person I know. Our family is utterly devastated.
“We had this big reunion planned this week at the home where he grew up. We do that kind of thing. All the children come, all the family come together.
“We eat, we laugh, we pray together. Everybody’s so proud of Marshawn. He’s come such a long way and there was such love for him.
“He was supposed to be here with us in Grand Rapids. Not dead after a police chase.”
Jasmin’s remarks come as the Frisco Police Department concluded that Kneeland’s death was a suicide following a ‘vehicle pursuit that led to a multi-agency search in Frisco’.
Police reportedly assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety in searching for a speeding vehicle that eluded them, which they later found crashed on the southbound Dallas Parkway.
The individual is believed to have run from the crash site, leading to a large-scale police search with dogs and drones to locate him.
The pursuit ended with the discovery of a man ‘deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound’ at 1.31am.
It was also reported that the football player sent a farewell text to his family during the incident.
His girlfriend, 22-year-old Catalina Mancera, is said to have informed police that he was armed and had a history of mental health issues.
Kneeland’s mother, Wendy, had passed away in February of the previous year at the age of 45 due to an accidental drug overdose.
The star’s uncle, Preston Kneeland, told the outlet that the family was unaware of any mental health issues and criticized speculation on social media about drug involvement.
“Marshawn hated drugs, absolutely hated them,” he said. “He never smoked, he never drank alcohol, and he disliked prescription medicine. He would always try to find a natural way to treat things.”
A former roommate, Patrick Grange, also noted that Kneeland wasn’t one to party.
“He spent time with his girlfriend, played video games, watched films, and played football. That’s all he did; he wasn’t into anything else.
“He didn’t party, he didn’t go out. He was focused on his family and on football.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline available 24/7.