The Dallas Cowboys are still trying to understand how a 24-year-old defensive end who had just scored his first NFL touchdown ended up dead in a portable toilet after a late night police chase in Frisco, Texas. Marshawn Kneeland’s death has shaken the league, but the person carrying the heaviest weight right now is the coach who once pounded the table to draft him.Greg Ellis, the former Cowboys defensive line assistant who helped bring Kneeland to Dallas, now believes he missed the signs. He spoke openly about it, and he did not soften any part of the truth.
Greg Ellis believed Marshawn Kneeland was special and now carries the weight of every missed call
Greg Ellis encouraged the Dallas Cowboys to draft Marshawn Kneeland in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He saw traits that reminded him of himself. He saw a fit for the Cowboys scheme. He saw a young player he wanted to guide on and off the field.Their bond deepened quickly. Ellis is a long-time mental health advocate who wrote and directed the film “My Dear.” He shared his own struggles with Kneeland and tried to create a space where the defensive end could talk honestly. But Kneeland always gave the same answer.“I’m straight coach, I’m good.”Ellis described moments where Kneeland withdrew and fell quiet. He noticed the shift, but he did not believe it pointed to a crisis.“For me, I should have known,” Ellis said. “But the moments that I pay attention to him when he would withdraw, he would get quiet, and then I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ But his No. 1 answer: ‘I’m straight coach, I’m good.’ So, yes, to that again, a lot of things are hindsight. I did see it. But I didn’t think it would lead to this.”The last time they spoke was Sept. 3. Ellis now realizes that silence cut deeper than he understood.“I wish he would have reached out to me. But it’s kind of out of sight, out of mind, and that’s where I feel like I needed to have been calling him,” Ellis said. “Then I just should have been texting him on a consistent basis.”
Marshawn Kneeland’s family raises allegations as relatives question the circumstances surrounding his final hours
A first cousin of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland has publicly questioned the circumstances of his death, adding emotional weight to a case already defined by confirmed police reports and mental health concerns. Kneeland, 24, died by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound early on November 6 after authorities said he fled a crash in Frisco, Texas. His death followed a police pursuit and a multi-agency search that ended when officers found him deceased inside a portable toilet near a building on the Dallas Parkway.Speaking to the Daily Mail, cousin Jasmin Kneeland said the details do not align with the person she knew. She said he had plans to travel to Michigan for a family reunion celebrating his first NFL touchdown and that the idea of him taking his own life feels out of character. She said, “I truly think they killed him, I truly do,” referring to law enforcement. She added, “Because why else would he run for his life then kill himself in a porta-potty?”Jasmin described Marshawn Kneeland as a gentle presence who spent time with younger family members, made TikTok videos with them, and bought them gifts. She said he was excited about being home in Grand Rapids for the family gathering. She added, “He was supposed to be here with us in Grand Rapids. Not dead after a police chase.”Police reports from Frisco described the incident as a vehicle pursuit initiated when troopers attempted to stop a speeding car on Wednesday night. The car, registered to Marshawn Kneeland, later crashed, and officers said a man fled the scene on foot. Authorities then launched a large-scale search using dogs and drone units. Police confirmed he was found deceased at 1:31 a.m. from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Reporters have also confirmed that he had texted family members a goodbye message during the incident.Law enforcement records and dispatch audio previously published by TMZ stated that Marshawn Kneeland’s girlfriend, 22-year-old Catalina Mancera, warned police he was armed and had a history of mental struggles. His mother, Wendy, died in February 2024 at age 45 from an accidental drug overdose, a loss relatives said deeply affected him.Other family members disputed speculation online about drug involvement. His uncle, Preston Kneeland, told the outlet that Marshawn Kneeland avoided drugs and alcohol entirely. He said, “Marshawn hated drugs, absolutely hated them… he never touched alcohol and he disliked prescription medicine.”
