Western Michigan police twice did welfare checks on Marshawn Kneeland during his time with the school, with coaches worrying that he possessed a gun and the former Cowboys defensive end once indicated suicidal thoughts to police, according to reports obtained by ESPN.
Kneeland, a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft following his time with the Broncos, died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 24 on Nov. 6.
He spent five seasons with Western Michigan spanning the 2019-23 seasons, totaling 13 sacks, and concerns about his well-being reportedly dated to 2020.
Broncos coach Lance Taylor and then-defensive coordinator Lou Esposito called police in June 2023 with “a concern that (Kneeland) recently separated from his girlfriend,” and the pair “wanted to make sure he was mentally fit to possess a firearm,” a campus police report stated, according to ESPN.
An officer wrote that after speaking with Kneeland, he voluntarily turned his firearm over to campus police “for safekeeping until cleared by a counselor,” per the report.
Kneeland, a Grand Rapids, Mich. native, received his gun back 12 days later after he received a letter from a social worker at Western Michigan Sindecuse Health Center that said he had been examined and was determined not to be a threat to himself or others, according to the campus report.
In September 2020, one of Kneeland’s friends called 911 and indicated concern about him.
Police reportedly found Kneeland near train tracks and he revealed suicidal thoughts.
“Kneeland told me he was sitting across the tracks in hopes a train would run him over to end his life,” the officer who responded to the scene wrote in a report, according to ESPN.
“Kneeland told me life overall and the lack of playing football at WMU had him feeling down. He told me he had been feeling like this for a while. When asked to clarify how long he felt that way, he did not answer. Kneeland said he does not see a therapist or take any medication for his mental health crisis.”
Kneeland reportedly did not want medical help, but Kent County sheriff’s deputies on the scene sent him to a hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., per ESPN.
It’s not known when he was released.
The Cowboys did not tell ESPN whether they knew of these incidents before drafting Kneeland, and his cousin told the outlet she did not know of the specific situations.
“WMU’s football program and our greater community are heartbroken by the loss of Marshawn,” Western Michigan’s athletic department said in a statement to ESPN.”He was deeply loved and cared for here. Bronco Athletics provides holistic support for all our student-athletes including mental health services with professional counselors. Marshawn made use of those mental health resources during his time at WMU. The entire football staff was proud of Marshawn, who grew to become a captain and a leader in the program, and ultimately a graduate of Western Michigan University.”
Kneeland died on Nov. 6 after a police chase in Texas, with the police dispatch audio from the night revealing his girlfriend was concerned he had suicidal thoughts and was “armed.”
“We’re talking to the girlfriend, she’s trying to call the agent, so 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,’” the police dispatcher said, as obtained by TMZ.
The Cowboys honored Kneeland with T-shirts and by hanging his jersey at his locker this past Monday night before their first game since his death.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.
