Relative of Dallas Cowboys star Marshawn Kneeland makes shocking allegation after his death aged 24
Topics: Health, Mental Health, NFL, Texas, US News
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Icon Sportswire
Topics: Health, Mental Health, NFL, Texas, US News
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A cousin of Dallas Cowboys star Marshawn Kneeland has made a wild allegation in the wake of the star's tragic death.
On Thursday (November 6), the 24-year-old rising NFL star was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after reportedly crashing his car and fleeing the scene on foot.
Kneeland reportedly refused to pull over for a traffic violation in Frisco, Texas, sparking a late night police chase on Wednesday night.
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Tragically, cops found his deceased body in a porta-potty near a building in the early hours of November 6, just days after the Dallas Cowboys defensive end had scored a touchdown against Arizona Cardinals.
Now, his first cousin Jasmin Kneeland has made a sensational claim that cops are to blame for the athlete's death.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Jasmin said he had been planning to attend a family reunion this week in Michigan to celebrate his first NFL touchdown and that she is struggling to come to terms with how her 'big kid' cousin could have taken his own life.
"I truly think they killed him, I truly do," the 33-year-old said, alluding to the cops while speaking out from her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
"Because why else would he run for his life then kill himself 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."
Her comments come as the Frisco Police Department understand Kneeland died by suicide following an incident of a 'vehicle pursuit that led to a multi-agency search in Frisco'.
Officers are believed to have assisted a Texas Department of Public Safety search for a speeding car that had evaded them, eventually finding the vehicle crashed on the southbound Dallas Parkway.
It is believed a man fled the scene on foot, prompting a cordon and large-scale police search with dogs and drone units to track him down.
The result of that pursuit ended when they discovered a man 'deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound' at 1.31am.
It is also reported the football star had sent a 'goodbye' text message to his family amid the drama.
His girlfriend, 22-year-old Catalina Mancera, is also believed to have warned cops that he was in possession of a gun and had a history of mental health problems.
Kneeland also lost his mom, Wendy, in February last year after she died at the age of 45 from an accidental drug overdose.
The star's uncle, Preston Kneeland, told the outlet the family were unaware of any such history of mental illnesses and slammed social media speculation that drugs might have been involved.
"Marshawn hated drugs, absolutely hated them," he said. "He never smoked, he never touched alcohol and he disliked prescription medicine. He would always try to find a natural way to treat things."
A former roommate, Patrick Grange, also said Kneeland wasn't the party type.
"He hung out with his girlfriend, he played video games, he watched films and played football. That's what he did, like he was not into anything else.
"He didn't party, he didn't go out. Like he was strictly about his family and about 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 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.