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Marshawn Kneeland, the tribute to Kneeland that aired during Thursday Night Football
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Before the Thursday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders, the NFL paid tribute to Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn KneelandKneeland died in the early hours of Nov. 6 from an apparent “self-inflicted gunshot wound”“As we offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and teammates, please stand and join in a moment of silence to remember the life of Marshawn Kneeland,” Broncos announcer Conor McGahey said during the tribute
The NFL is paying tribute to Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland after his death at 24.
The Cowboys announced in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, Nov. 6 that the athlete had “tragically passed away.”
Following the news, a moment of silence was held on his behalf during Thursday Night Football on Nov. 6, ahead of the game between the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kneeland’s photograph was shown on the scoreboard in Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., as Broncos announcer Conor McGahey said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Denver Broncos join the Dallas Cowboys and the entire NFL community in mourning Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who tragically passed away this morning.”
“As we offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and teammates, please stand and join in a moment of silence to remember the life of Marshawn Kneeland,” he continued.
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Marshawn Kneeland
As previously reported by PEOPLE, Texas DPS Aircraft and troopers, along with the Frisco Police Department, discovered Kneeland dead “from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound” at 1:31 a.m. local time on Thursday morning.
He died after allegedly leading Texas DPS troopers on a chase just north of Dallas on Wednesday night, per authorities.
The athlete’s body was discovered in the immediate area of his car, which had crashed in the southbound lanes of the Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway in Frisco at 10:39 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a news release shared with PEOPLE.
Troopers had attempted to stop Kneeland for a traffic violation on the northbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway near Keller Springs Blvd., but he refused to comply, authorities said.
Kneeland then allegedly fled, and troopers pursued his vehicle until they lost sight of it.
According to the Frisco Police Department, during the course of the search, officers received information that Kneeland “had expressed suicidal ideations.”
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Marshawn Kneeland
In the hours before Kneeland’s tragic death, his girlfriend had called police, worried for his life, according to police dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE.
“We’re talking to the girlfriend. She’s trying to call his agent, but we’re trying to get her to call him first, but she’s saying he is armed and has a history of mental illness and her quote was, ‘He will end it all,’ ” one dispatcher was heard saying during the course of the call.
A dispatcher could also be heard saying that Kneeland’s family “received a text from him, a group text from him, saying goodbye. They’re concerned for his welfare.”
The Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine his official cause of death.
Kneeland’s team and his agent were among the many sharing their grief about the loss of the promising young player after the news emerged online.
“It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the Cowboys said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday. “Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
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His agent, Jonathan Perzley, said he was “shattered to confirm that my client and dearest friend Marshawn Kneeland passed away last night,” in a statement shared by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Thursday.
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