Jerry Jones Breaks Silence on Death of Marshawn Kneeland

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones opened up Tuesday with his first public comments on the tragic death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.

Kneeland, 24, died last Wednesday night of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Kneeland reportedly shot himself after fleeing a traffic stop and abandoning his vehicle.

Earlier in the evening, the second-year pro's girlfriend had become concerned because he reportedly sent despondent messages and threatened to "end it all."

'Devastated' Jones addresses tragedy

Kneeland's shocking death rocked the Cowboys and the NFL world as a whole. With the team coming off a bye week, Jones held his usual Tuesday appearance on 105.3 The Fan this morning.

During the conversation, Jones said he was "devastated" by Kneeland's passing and found the news "hard to believe."

"While we're talking about it, I do want to say publicly how much I appreciate the national news, the national recognition of him," Jones added, via DallasCowboys.com's Tommy Yarrish. "I thought it was so fitting that on the game Sunday night, all through Sunday, that they recognize the loss of Marshawn."

Jones also discussed the difficult task he and his team are facing, having to move forward with the season while also mourning their brother.

"We all are having to share the sorrow, all are having to share the different ways or different things that come through your mind," Jones said. "It's not light that as a teammate, Marshawn touched everybody in many different ways. The very definition of team is we love each other, we rely on each other. That's the ethos of what a team is about.

"Everybody expects that this is a rough game, it takes some real mental toughness to play the game, but in fact there's a lot of love for each other there that is shared in unique ways, and you get to know each other pretty good."

Cowboys planning tributes for Kneeland

Now 3-5-1 on the season, Dallas comes off its bye with a Monday Night Football home game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11.

It will certainly be an emotional night for players and fans, and Jones said the team will debut a helmet decal honoring Kneeland during the game. Other tribute are also in the works, he confirmed.

"We're going to do a special helmet decal for the remainder of the season, and the team leaders are reviewing a lot of design options in terms of what that decal will look like. And then we'll do a pregame warmup special t-shirt in Vegas and against the Eagles for the team itself to wear during those times," Jones said.

A second-round pick out of Western Michigan in 2024, Kneeland appeared in 18 games with the Cowboys, making four starts. He finished his career with 26 total tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup.

Kneeland's final act as an NFL player included scoring his first and only career touchdown on a blocked punt recovery against the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 3.