‘He talked a lot about love’ – Brian Schottenheimer speaks for the first time on Marshawn Kneeland’s death
The Dallas Cowboys head coach talked to the media for the first time since the tragic news.
On Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke to the media for the first time since the tragic death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.
“I’d like to take a few moments and offer my condolences to Marshawn’s family, Catalina his girlfriend, we had an opportunity last night to celebrate Marshawn’s life, tell some stories, share, laugh, cry,” Schottenheimer told reporters. “Marshawn loved the words ‘one love.’ He talked a lot about love. As we grieve, I had a chance to really share a couple of things I’ll miss the most about Marshawn. Those top couple of things was he had the most playful spirit of any young man I’ve been around. His smile could take you to your knees. In terms of him as an athlete, no one had a better motor than him.
“So my heart is heavy, our team’s heart is heavy, we don’t move on, but we do move forward,” he added.
Schottenheimer revealed the Cowboys have had conversations with multiple experts in dealing with grief. The coach shared that the team set up a moment on Monday for players and coaches to be together following the bye week.
“Yesterday we had what we called a brotherhood breakfast where we just sat down for about 45 minutes, and we just ate together,” Schottenheimer said. “We just shared and we talked. Laughed. Cried.”
Schottenheimer’s entire press conference was dedicated to Kneeland’s death and the team’s response to it. Toward the end of it, the Cowboys’ head coach opened up with an impactful quote on what the team is going through:
“I’m hurt, these guys have picked me up, and I’ve picked them up,” Schottenheimer said, choking up. “That’s what we’ll continue to do because we love one another. And that’s what a family does.”
Cowboys set up fund for Marshawn Kneeland’s girlfriend, will honor him with gameday gear, and more
Schottenheimer revealed the Cowboys established the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund to help his girlfriend, Catalina, who is pregnant.
“We want them to be taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Schottenheimer said.
The Cowboys will wear a helmet decal to honor Kneeland for the remainder of the season, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. Additionally, they’ll wear special t-shirts before their next two games. They’ll also hold a moment of silence on Nov. 23 against the Philadelphia Eagles when they play at AT&T Stadium for the first time since Kneeland’s death.
The NFL held moments of silence pregame across the league last weekend.
On social media, the Cowboys have used their platform to pay tribute to Kneeland, including a powerful video highlighting Kneeland’s positive energy and impact in the locker room.
The video ends with a soundbite of Kneeland talking to the media, saying: “We all come together, we make sure how we’re doing, know what we’re doing, and never let somebody else fall behind because at the end of the day we’re all fighting for the same spot. But at the end of the day, we want all of each other to succeed.”
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