Cowboys Players Had an ‘Extremely Emotional’ Meeting to ‘Cry’ and Talk Through Marshawn Kneeland’s Death

Dallas Cowboys players held a therapeutic meeting to process the death of their teammate Marshawn Kneeland.

On Monday, Nov. 10, the Cowboys, who were on a bye week, came together for the first time since Kneeland’s death four days earlier for a meeting held by head coach Brian Schottenheimer, the team’s independent psychologist Heather Twedell and director of team security Cable Johnson, according to the team.

Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas described the meeting as “extremely impactful” and “extremely emotional,” and said he was “proud of” their head coach Schottenheimer “for how he conducted” the meeting.

“Just bringing therapists in the building, bringing people who we need in the building and just letting us be our true emotions,” Thomas, 30, said, adding, “Giving us a safe place to let everyone know what’s going on inside.”

Thomas also held an event with teammates for his foundation The Defensive Line, which he started after his sister died by suicide, after the players convened, and said the timing of the Cowboys’ bye week and “being away from each other has been hard” amid Kneeland’s death.

“So I think coming into the building together meant a lot and then also having this and the guys, I even told them, ‘Hey, I understand if you don’t want to come,’ and all of them wanted to come,” he said.

“So the fact that they all wanted to come and just be around each other, I think that’s all we wanted,” Thomas continued. “We just wanted to be around each other because we’re all hurting, we feel the absence and so we just want to be there to love on each other.”

The Cowboys player said he hadn’t “been around a program that’s done something like that before and [it’s] a testament to [Schottenheimer] and his love for us because we needed that today.”

“We needed a day just to be human and to cry and to let everyone know how we felt. Extremely draining and hard day, hard for everyone involved, hard for everyone who loved Marshawn.”

Prior to Monday’s in-person meeting, the team held a virtual one immediately after the news of Kneeland’s death. Thomas said he was “just letting guys know that I loved them” and “that I’m there for them” during that virtual meeting.

“And that whatever they’re going through, there’s people that can help them, and there’s hope and that there’s a light in the storm they’re going through,” Thomas continued. “Just letting them know that there’s definitely things that Marshawn was going through that we’ll never know about. It’s a tragedy, it’s terrible, and our hearts are there for [his girlfriend] Catalina, for his family and all his loved ones. The way to get through this is just love and being together.”

The Defensive Line foundation was created in 2021 by Thomas, who also lost his sister to suicide in 2018. The organization specializes in helping individuals, families and seniors “navigate through crisis situations and work to stabilize their lives for a brighter future, to pack food packages for the homeless and those in need,” according to the Cowboys.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.