Ellis encouraged the Cowboys\u2019 front office to draft Kneeland from Western Michigan in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.<\/a> Kneeland reminded Ellis of himself as a player who could fit into the scheme coached by former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.<\/p>\n The two became close. <\/p>\n Cowboys<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n So close that Ellis \u2014 an advocate who wrote and directed a film on mental illness titled \u201cMy Dear\u201d<\/a> \u2014 spoke to Kneeland about his own mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, I should have known,\u201d Ellis said Thursday night. \u201cBut the moments that I pay attention to him when he would withdraw, he would get quiet, and then I was like, \u2018What\u2019s going on?\u2019 But his No. 1 answer: \u2018I\u2019m straight coach, I\u2019m good.\u2019 So, yes, to that again, a lot of things are hindsight. I did see it. But I didn\u2019t think it would lead to this. But I did feel compelled to stay in contact with him, and that\u2019s the one thing that I didn\u2019t do well enough in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n Greg Ellis, former Cowboys assistant coach.<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys<\/p>\n Details from law enforcement are emerging from the night Kneeland, 24, took his own life \u2014 where his body was found, what he said to his girlfriend, and a text message to family members saying goodbye. Kneeland\u2019s girlfriend, according to 911 dispatch audio<\/a>, told officers he had a history of mental health issues. <\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n The root of Kneeland\u2019s mental problems may never be known, but helping him cope is something Ellis was trying to do.<\/p>\n Ellis spent one season as a Cowboys coach before the current staff took over. He wanted to continue speaking with Kneeland and defensive end Sam Williams about football and life. But Ellis, who played 11 seasons for the Cowboys and 12 overall in the NFL, didn\u2019t want to overstep his boundaries with head coach Brian Schottenheimer\u2019s new staff. <\/p>\n The last time Ellis communicated with Kneeland was Sept. 3.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like, I wish he would have reached out to me,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cBut it\u2019s kind of out of sight, out of mind, and that\u2019s where I feel like I needed to have been calling him, and the last time I talked to him by text. Then I just should have been texting him on a consistent basis. Hindsight, I wish I would have been reaching out to him a lot more and maybe that would have helped him to say, \u2018Oh yeah, G let me talk to you. Let\u2019s go and get something to eat X, Y and Z.\u2019 <\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be about football. I didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ellis does not want to make Kneeland\u2019s passing about himself. He cares about the players he\u2019s coached and played with. <\/p>\n He understands the value of strong mental health, having played a physically demanding game that also takes a toll mentally. Ellis is taking classes to become more aware of the signs to help people deal with mental issues. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what type of guy Greg Ellis is,\u201d said DeMarcus Ware, a former Cowboys teammate and NFL Pro Football Hall of Famer.<\/a> \u201cHe\u2019s a man of purpose, and a man of purpose, he doesn\u2019t think about placement. He doesn\u2019t think about if I\u2019m No. 1 or not. He thinks about how good can I make that man, that\u2019s in the locker room with me, better. He always talked about battling. He was my mentor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all have to be more vocal in ways where when you see struggle it needs to be brought to the light. It\u2019s about that time these struggles of professional athletes need to be brought to the light.\u201d<\/p>\n The NFL provides programs for players who are dealing with mental health issues.<\/a> The Cowboys were one of the first teams to help players with mental health, offering counseling programs. <\/p>\n Experts in the field of mental illness believe more should be done. <\/p>\n Michael Lindsey, a mental health researcher and dean of the NYU Silver School of Social Work, works with athletes from various sports. He believes the NFL should make it mandatory for players to undergo counseling the day they become professionals. <\/p>\n \u201cThose who are close to the athletes, family members, friends, coaches, mentors, we are on the front lines and we need to have greater attunement on the warning signs and take them seriously,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cBecause suicide is on the rise and it\u2019s becoming more commonplace in our society, I think we don\u2019t take it seriously enough. For one, we can help people to understand what the warning signs are and what the next steps are to support that person or your loved ones, and I think the NFL should require every player to have mental health treatment at least some sessions because of the pressures of being associated with being a star athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n NFL players are conditioned to play through pain and overcome adversity on a weekly basis \u2014 even when recovering from injuries. Micah Parsons, a former Cowboys defensive end who now plays for the Green Bay Packers, said he traveled to Florida to help his close friend, cornerback Trevon Diggs, rehab a knee injury to make sure he was mentally strong.<\/a> <\/p>\n Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas created foundations to help people deal with mental illness. Both players had a sibling die by suicide.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a pain that you don\u2019t wish upon anybody,\u201d Prescott said Thursday in an interview with Ch. 11<\/a> during a field dedication at his high school in Haughton, La.<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Mike MacCrory is a former walk-on offensive lineman with TCU and worked with the Dallas Mavericks as a mental performance coach after playing. He knows intimately what athletes go through. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s hard to understand the pressure that athletes are under,\u201d said MacCrory, a Frisco-based licensed professional counselor associate under supervision from Nikolaus Johnson. \u201cThey\u2019re modern gladiators and they\u2019re praised for the strength, their reliance is to suppress that they need help is counter to the culture that we built around athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the next week, Cowboys players who are on their bye before the next game Monday, Nov. 17, in Las Vegas, will begin to gather to come to terms with the loss of Kneeland. Already, players have placed flowers at Kneeland\u2019s locker at The Star in Frisco, where the team practices. <\/p>\n For Ellis, he just wants another opportunity to reach out and help. <\/p>\n \u201cI wish I would have done more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mental Health ResourcesThe Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line: Grant Halliburton Foundation initiative connects North Texans with mental health resources customized to each caller.\u00a0972-525-8181<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0HereForTexas.com<\/a>.National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 24-hour crisis hotline at\u00a0800-273-8255<\/a>. Confidential online chat is available at\u00a0suicidepreventionlifeline.org<\/a>.Crisis Text Line: To get 24-hour support, text \u201cHOME\u201d to 741741. More information at\u00a0crisistextline.org<\/a>.North Texas Behavioral Health Authority: 24-hour crisis hotline.\u00a0866-260-8000<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0ntbha.org<\/a>.Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas: Speak to a trained counselor on the 24-hour hotline at\u00a0214-828-1000<\/a>,\u00a0800-273-8255<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0sccenter.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Greg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2OJTHV75FZBARKSDQUEXOWIWDM.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Bobbie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762570567_699_3QZQ2RZLPFB7TMUGGULSKVWKDM.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Dallas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762570568_236_LVKYKE3NKVA2LKPJ2TN5UH2ULU.jpg\")
<\/p>\n