NEED TO KNOW
\nDallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland’s girlfriend is pregnant after his death at 24News broke last week that Kneeland, who played defensive end for the Texas team, had died due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot woundThe Cowboys organization is setting up a memorial fund in honor of Kneeland, with all proceeds set to be received by Kneeland’s girlfriend and “unborn heir”<\/p>\n
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer<\/a> has confirmed that Marshawn Kneeland’s<\/a> girlfriend is pregnant.\n<\/p>\n During a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 12, Schottenheimer announced that Kneeland’s girlfriend Catalina Mancera<\/a> is pregnant and expecting the couple’s first baby just a week after the defensive end died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound<\/a> at 24 years old, according to The Dallas Morning News<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n “We want to make sure she’s taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Schottenheimer said during the press conference.\n<\/p>\n The Cowboys head coach also shared that the organization has created the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund<\/a>, which aims to financially support both Catalina and the couple’s baby.\n<\/p>\n When viewers click “donate” on the fund’s website, it reads, “The Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving Marshawn’s legacy and extending his impact through direct support for his surviving partner and unborn heir.”\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Marshawn Kneeland.<\/p>\n Perry Knotts\/Getty\u00a0<\/p>\n On Thursday, Nov. 6, the Cowboys announced Kneeland’s death in a statement<\/a> shared with PEOPLE.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the Cowboys said in their statement. “Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”\n<\/p>\n 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\u00a0shared by<\/a>\u00a0NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.\n<\/p>\n The second-year player died at night on Wednesday, Nov. 5, Perzley said, just 48 hours after he had a big showing during the Cowboys’\u00a0Monday Night Football\u00a0game against the Arizona Cardinals. Kneeland recovered a blocked punt in the second quarter and scored a touchdown, putting the Cowboys on the scoreboard.\n<\/p>\n Later that day, PEOPLE reported that Kneeland died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading Texas DPS troopers on a chase just north of Dallas that Wednesday night, authorities said.\n<\/p>\n Marshawn Kneeland.<\/p>\n Cooper Neill\/Getty<\/p>\n DPS Aircraft and troopers along with the Frisco Police Department found Kneeland approximately three hours after the chase, dead \u201cfrom what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Kneeland was 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, Nov. 5, according to news release shared with PEOPLE.\n<\/p>\n Moments earlier, 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.\n<\/p>\n He then fled and troopers pursued his vehicle until they lost sight of it. His car later crashed in the southbound lanes of the Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway, authorities said.\n<\/p>\n According to the Frisco Police Department, during the course of the search, officers received information that Kneeland \u201chad expressed suicidal ideations.\u201d Kneeland’s body was found in the immediate vicinity of his vehicle at 1:31 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6.\n<\/p>\n Marshawn Kneeland.<\/p>\n Zach Bolinger\/Icon Sportswire via Getty<\/p>\n