Marshawn Kneeland’s Mental Health Concerns Revealed
The Western Michigan University police conducted two welfare checks on former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland during his time as a student, according to obtained documents. Kneeland, 24, died on November 6 due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Frisco, Texas. Documents reveal that Kneeland had been facing mental health issues since 2020. An incident in June 2023, occurred ten months before Dallas selected him in the second round of the NFL draft. Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor and then-defensive coordinator Lou Esposito called the police concerned about Kneeland’s recent separation and wanted to make sure he was mentally fit to possess a firearm, according to a campus police report.Twelve days later, Kneeland got his weapon back after obtaining a letter from a social worker at Western Michigan’s Sindecuse Health Center, which indicated that Kneeland was examined and determined not to be a threat to himself or others, according to the report. In September 2020, a friend of Kneeland called 911 expressing concern for his well-being. The police found Kneeland near the train tracks in Kalamazoo.“After speaking with Kneeland, he voluntarily surrendered the firearm to WMU police for safekeeping until authorized by a counselor,” the officer wrote.
Police report
The report indicates that Kneeland did not want to seek medical help, but Kent County sheriff’s deputies sent him to Borgess Hospital (now Beacon Kalamazoo). The report does not specify when or why Kneeland was discharged from the hospital. Kneeland’s body was found by Texas police on the morning of November 6, after he evaded officers during a vehicle pursuit, crashed his car, and fled on foot. Police have not revealed what prompted the chase. While searching for Kneeland, they received information that he had expressed “suicidal ideations”.“Kneeland told me he was sitting on the other side of the tracks hoping a train would hit him to end his life,” the officer wrote in a report. “Kneeland told me that life in general and the lack of football play at WMU were making him feel depressed. He told me he had been feeling this way for some time. When asked how long he had been feeling this way, he did not respond. Kneeland said he does not see a therapist or take any medication for his mental health crisis.”
Police report
