Trigger Warning: This story contains references to suicide.
Seven months after Marshawn Kneeland sent a "goodbye" text to a group chat, his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, welcomed a baby boy. She was pregnant at the time when the Dallas Cowboys defensive end reportedly expressed suicidal ideation.
Marshawn Kneeland's Passing
Catalina Mancera's NFL boyfriend Marshawn Kneeland passed away from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. After receiving the "goodbye" text, she called a 911 dispatcher to request a welfare check. She told them, "He is armed and has a history of mental illness. He will end it all." With the help of an extensive search using K-9 and drone units, Kneeland was found curled up on the floor in a portable toilet in Frisco, Texas, a Dallas suburb. He had passed away from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after crashing his car into a pickup truck following a police chase on Nov. 6, 2025. The crash occurred after police began pursuing Kneeland for a traffic violation and attempted to get him to stop his vehicle.
Loss of His Mother
A year earlier, Kneeland's mother, Wendy, had passed away. She died from an accidental drug overdose in February 2024. The medical examiner found oxycodone, morphine, anticonvulsant gabapentin, antidepressant duloxetine, and muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine in her system. Speaking to The Dallas Morning News a few months before his tragic passing, Kneeland said, "It was definitely tough. I just managed it. I had to try to breathe and let all of it out as much as possible in the situation. She helped me a lot in my younger years, getting into football. I always had the dream. I always told her -- I'm going to the NFL. I put myself in the best position, and she helped me get out a lot just leading up to the draft. She was right there with me. She's still with me. I got this urn of her ashes I carry with me everywhere. I still feel like she's there watching over me."
Kneeland wore his mother's ashes in a necklace after her death. At her funeral service, he said, "It's definitely tough. You just never expect something like this. She would always help me, just life in general. She was basically there for me for everything. If I could go back in time, I would have definitely found a way for me to go see her or for her to come see me. It tore me apart. I can still feel her just training. I feel her presence there with me, and I still do. I know she's watching over me. I try to be strong as much as I can."
Events Leading to His Death
The loss of his mother must have been eating him away, so much so that when the football season started, he must have been missing her intensely. Two months into the season and after scoring his first NFL career touchdown, police found his abandoned vehicle crashed on the southbound Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway. Kneeland was curled up in a portable toilet covered in a pool of blood, less than half a mile west of the Dallas Parkway. He had abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene after the crash. At that moment, his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, was pregnant.
Pregnancy Announcement
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed the pregnancy news to the world after Kneeland's tragic passing. The then-first-year head coach announced a memorial fund had been started to support Mancera and their unborn child. "We want to make sure she's taken care of, and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives," Schottenheimer said during the November 2025 news conference.
Baby Arrival
Fast forward to today, Mancera announced via Instagram that their baby had arrived. She captioned the post, "my favorite gift from you [white heart emoji]. June 11th, 2026." She shared several snapshots along with the announcement. The baby boy's name is Makhai. Congratulations are pouring in from all sides. Dak Prescott's ex-fiancée, Sarah Jane Ramos, commented, "Congratulations babe [red heart emoji]." Brian Schottenheimer's wife, Gemmi Schottenheimer, commented, "Congratulations sweet girl! Can't wait to meet him [red heart emoji]."
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About the Author
Dr. Arati Kulkarni Srivastava spent six years studying medicine and three years in management, but her passion for writing was too strong to ignore. Having been a vice-captain for her college's cricket team all four years, she was no stranger to an NFL quarterback's competitive spirit. She creates compelling football stories that leave a mark on the readers' hearts, not just their minds. Every morning, she begins her day by flipping through the pages of the TOI sports section to see who scored how much. In the evenings, she indulges in solving intriguing mysteries in the elite world of Olivia Benson from Law & Order: SVU. The sea of Mumbai brings her a sense of tranquility, and nothing soothes her soul quite like Kishore Kumar's melodies.
