Cowboys' team director of security made call for Marshawn Kneeland welfare check
- - Cowboys' team director of security made call for Marshawn Kneeland welfare check
Criss Partee November 12, 2025 at 10:49 PM
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Content warning: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide and needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
Dallas Cowboys team director of security Cable Johnson was the person that called law enforcement, asking for a welfare check on defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, according to reports from ESPN. Kneeland sent out group texts that were concerning and even mentioned in one that he did not want to go to jail.
"He sent out some group texts that are concerning — probably mental health — but the group texts seemed to be saying goodbye — made some statement about not able to go to prison or to jail," Johnson told Plano police dispatch, according to audio obtained by ESPN.
Kneeland died last week from what was an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His body was found by police early Thursday morning after he’d fled police pursuit on foot. There is no word on what prompted police to pursue Kneeland’s car.
ESPN obtained highway video surveillance footage related to Kneeland that appears to show a car speeding northbound on Dallas North Tollway while being pursued by a police vehicle. The car then crashed into a pickup truck at 10:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, as confirmed by Texas DPS. Johnson called for the welfare check an hour later at 11:40 p.m., telling dispatchers Kneeland had sent the text messages within the last 20 minutes.
"The last context of the text that he sent said something to the fact that I can't go to prison or jail," Johnson told dispatchers. "I'm sure you can do like a regional check to see if any other agency is dealing with him right now?"
Kneeland’s body was found less than two hours later at 1:31 a.m. on Thursday.
The Cowboys were on their bye week when the incident happened. Kneeland was 24 years old and in his second year in Dallas after being selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Source: “AOL Sports”
