Dallas Cowboys coach makes heartbreaking announcement after Marshawn Kneeland dies aged 24

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

Up-and-coming football star Marshawn Kneeland's sudden death last week in an apparent suicide has rocked the NFL community and left his teammates reeling from the unexpected tragedy.

In a fresh update yesterday, Kneeland's coach at the Dallas Cowboys shared a heartbreaking update about the 24-year-old's personal life and made a commitment to help the defensive lineman's family.

In the Cowboys last game Monday, November 3, the second-year star made his team and himself proud with his first touchdown in an NFL game. But barely 48 hours later, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gun wound.

A clearly emotional Brian Schottenheimer shared on Wednesday that Kneeland's girlfriend Catalina Mancera is pregnant with the star's child, with Catalina breaking her silence to say 'words could never express how broken I feel, you’re my everything,' on social media.

In a touching gesture, Kneeland's teammates and wider Cowboys family promised to ensure that his girlfriend and future child are financially secure in perpetuity, setting up a fund in the fallen star's name.

"We've started the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, where we can all give and support Catalina," Schottenheimer said on Wednesday.

"She's pregnant, and so we want to make sure she's taken care of and the baby's taken care of for the rest of their lives," he added.

Speaking on what it was like to work with Kneeland, his coach said: "He had the most playful spirit of any young man I've been around. His smile could take you to your knees."

The sudden and shocking death of the 24-year-old in the early hours of November 6 followed a series of events still being established, that began with a police chase the night before after Kneeland failed to stop.

It has since emerged that, after evading law enforcement and crashing his vehicle before fleeing the scene on foot, the defensive lineman sent a series of worrying goodbye texts to friends and family.

This sparked a call for Frisco PD to carry out a welfare check, with his girlfriend later confirming that she had raised concerns that he had a weapon and could use it against himself.

Distressing audio from police dispatchers at the time reveals more about the harrowing incident. "We're talking to the girlfriend… she's saying he's armed and has a history of mental illness and her quote was 'he will end it all'," the call handler said.

Kneeland was found dead at 1.31am from an apparent gunshot.

The first Dallas Cowboys game to be played in the wake of Kneeland's death is due to take place on Monday, November 17, against hosts Las Vegas Raiders.

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 National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.