FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said his heart and the hearts of his players are still heavy after the death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, and that they continue to share, laugh and cry after the loss of their teammate.
“We don’t move on, but we do move forward,” Schottenheimer said Wednesday in his first media availability since Kneeland's death during their bye last week, and a day before the Cowboys were set to resume practice ahead of their next game.
“There’s no playbook, there’s really not. So that’s where the late nights come in, but the biggest thing for me is being strong for our football team,” he said. “We've got an incredible locker room, that’s where the culture of what we’re trying to build. We were bonded more than any of us ever could have thought.”
Police in Frisco said Kneeland was found dead early last Thursday of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading officers on a chase when he didn’t pull over for a traffic stop. Authorities lost sight of Kneeland’s vehicle, and the 24-year-old was found dead about three hours after fleeing the scene of an accident on foot, police said.
Players were off Wednesday, but the team had been together the previous two days for meetings and breakout sessions with grief specialists who talked to players. There also was a memorial candlelight vigil at the team's headquarters Tuesday night, when among those sharing were Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and their first-year head coach, along with Kneeland's girlfriend, his agent and his high school coach.
Schottenheimer said Wednesday that a memorial fund had been started to support Kneeleand’s pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child “to make sure she’s taken care of and the baby’s taken care of for the rest of their lives.”
The Cowboys will wear decals on their helmets the rest of the season in memory of Kneeland, and will wear special T-shirts at least for the next couple of games. They play Monday night at the Las Vegas Raiders, then have their next home game against Philadelphia on Nov. 22, when there will be a pregame moment of silence and a video tribute to Kneeland.
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