Marshawn Kneeland's Suicide Linked to Stage 1 CTE Diagnosis
WHO:
NY Post - Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys.
NBC Sports - Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center.
NBC Sports - Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation.
NBC Sports - Catalina Mancera, Kneeland’s girlfriend.
WHAT:
NBC Sports - Kneeland's family stated, “We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with. Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life.”
NBC Sports - Dr. Ann McKee stated, “My team and I are fully dedicated to finding effective treatments and a cure for CTE.”
NBC Sports - Chris Nowinski emphasized that “If we want to reduce CTE risk, we must implement CTE prevention protocols and aggressively reduce the number and strength of head impacts at every level of the game.”
NBC Sports - Kneeland's family stated, “We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with. Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life.”
NBC Sports - Dr. Ann McKee emphasized the importance of understanding the earliest stages of CTE, stating, “Thanks to the generosity of our brain donor families, we now better understand the earliest stages of CTE, and it is bringing us closer than ever to diagnosing it during life.”
NBC Sports - Kneeland's family released the results of his post-mortem brain tissue analysis on a Tuesday.
NBC Sports - Dr. Ann McKee stated, “Unfortunately, I was not surprised to find CTE in the brain of Mr. Kneeland, because we have found this progressive brain disease in nearly half of the athletes we’ve studied who have died before the age of 30.”
NBC Sports - Chris Nowinski emphasized that “Concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, because CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions.”
Daily Mail NFL - Kneeland evaded police in a pursuit that began when he failed to pull over for a traffic violation before his death.
NY Post - Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide.
Pro Football Network - Kneeland was posthumously diagnosed with Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
NBC Sports - Kneeland's brain tissue was analyzed by the Concussion & CTE Foundation.
NBC Sports - Stage 1 is the lowest level of CTE on a scale of 1 to 4.
Daily Mail NFL - Kneeland shot himself in the head in a porta-potty.
WHERE:
Daily Mail NFL - The incident occurred in Plano, Texas.
WHEN:
NY Post - Kneeland died in November 2025.
NBC Sports - The results of the post-mortem brain tissue analysis were released on a Tuesday.
WHY:
ESPN - The Boston University CTE Center made a point of saying that suicide is "complex and multifactorial" and "a post-mortem CTE diagnosis should not be considered the cause of a suicide."
NBC Sports - The Boston University CTE Center noted that “a post-mortem CTE diagnosis should not be considered the cause of a suicide.”
ESPN - The Boston University CTE Center noted that suicide is "complex and multifactorial" and that "a post-mortem CTE diagnosis should not be considered the cause of a suicide."
ESPN - Concerns about Kneeland's mental health were noted as far back as 2020 when he was at Western Michigan, including an incident where he was required to turn in his firearm to police until cleared by a counselor.
ESPN - A friend had previously called authorities expressing concern for Kneeland's well-being, leading to him being found on railroad tracks, expressing a desire for a train to run him over, resulting in hospitalization.
NBC Sports - Catalina Mancera stated, “While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing.”
NBC Sports - Dr. Ann McKee stated that nearly half of the athletes studied who died before age 30 had CTE.
NBC Sports - Chris Nowinski emphasized that CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions.
HOW:
ESPN - According to a report released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, a trooper saw Kneeland's car speeding down the highway, sometimes traveling more than 145 mph and making "several unsafe lane changes."
ESPN - A report from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicated that Kneeland's car was seen speeding down the highway, sometimes traveling more than 145 mph and making "several unsafe lane changes."
ESPN - Texas police found Kneeland's body in the early morning of November 6, 2025, after he had evaded officers during a traffic pursuit, crashed his car, and fled on foot.
NBC Sports - CTE can only be diagnosed by studying the brain tissue of a deceased patient.
NBC Sports - Kneeland's brain was sent to the Boston University CTE Center for examination.
Kneeland's family has shared their thoughts on the struggles faced by NFL and other high-contact sport athletes, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness and remembering Marshawn for the person he was rather than his final moments. Dr. Ann McKee has committed her team to finding effective treatments and a cure for CTE, while Chris Nowinski highlighted the need for CTE prevention protocols to reduce head impacts at all levels of the game. Additionally, a report from the Texas Department of Public Safety revealed that a trooper observed Kneeland's car speeding down the highway, at times exceeding 145 mph and making several unsafe lane changes.