LAS VEGAS — Dallas Cowboys players bowed their heads during a moment of silence in honour of their late teammate, Marshawn Kneeland, before Monday night’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
A photo of Kneeland was shown on the video boards at Allegiant Stadium, and the suicide hotline number, 988, was posted.
Kneeland, a 24-year-old defensive end, was found dead on Nov. 6 of an apparent suicide. Monday’s game was the first for the Cowboys since his death.
Dallas players wore blue T-shirts with Kneeland’s name, the years of his life — 2001-2025 — and the team’s star logo beneath an image of his face. A decal of his number, 94, was on the back of their helmets and will remain there for the rest of the season.
The team prepared a locker room stall for Kneeland at the stadium, and his jersey was placed on a coat hanger.
Dallas is coming off a bye week, given the team a little more time to come to grips with his death.
Editor’s note
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, help is available. You are not alone. For readers in Canada, here are some resources.
— Crisis Services Canada, which can be reached by phone at 833-456-4566.
— Residents of Quebec can call 866-277-3553 (APPELLE).
— Regional text messaging services can be found on the Crisis Services Canada website.
— Kids Help Phone, which can be called toll-free at 1-800-668-6868. A text option exists too by texting CONNECT to 686868.
— Hope for Wellness Help Line, a service available to all Indigenous peoples across Canada who need immediate crisis intervention that provides experienced and culturally sensitive help-line counsellors if you want to talk. An online chat option exists too.
