A year after his death, Kneeland's loved ones are honoring his legacy

Houston Chronicle · Joseph Hoyt · 2026-11-06 12:00 UTC

Friday marks one year since the Cowboys defensive end died by suicide and those closest to him continue to share their grief.

FRISCO — Brandon Kimble would send text messages, knowing a response wasn’t coming. At least not immediately.

Marshawn Kneeland couldn’t respond to his old high school coach. He was busy playing for the Dallas Cowboys. But that couldn’t stop Kimble from coaching his former player at Godwin Heights in Michigan.

Kimble would text a stream of thoughts while he watched, as if Kneeland was sitting next to him. He’d coach Kneeland on the little things: his hand placement on one pass rush, or the way his opponents would play him on another play. When Kneeland scored his first NFL touchdown on Nov. 3, 2025, Kimble excitedly texted him about the future.

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