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Marshawn Kneeland had stage 1 CTE before suicide but not overall cause.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:38 am
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:38 am
LINK
Former Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was posthumously diagnosed with Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). There are four stages with Stage 4 showing the most damage.
Kneeland died by suicide in November 2025 at the age of 24.
Boston University's CTE Center made the diagnosis after Kneeland's family donated his brain for research.
Kneeland's family, including his girlfriend Catalina Mancera, put out a statement:
"While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing. We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with. Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life. One Love."
The BU CTE Center made a point of saying that suicide is "complex and multifactorial" and "a post-mortem CTE diagnosis should not be considered the cause of a suicide."
According to records obtained by ESPN, there had been concerns about Kneeland's mental health as far back as 2020 when he was at Western Michigan. In one incident, he was required to turn in his firearm to police until he was cleared by a counselor.
In another, a friend called authorities with concern over Kneeland's well-being. He was found on railroad tracks, saying he hoped a train would run him over. He was hospitalized.
Texas police found Kneeland's body in the early morning of Nov. 6, 2025 after he had evaded officers during a traffic pursuit, crashed his car and fled on foot. According to a report released Friday by the Texas Department of Public Safety, a trooper saw Kneeland's car speeding down the highway, sometimes traveling more than 145 miles per hour and making "several unsafe lane changes."
The trooper ultimately lost sight of Kneeland's car. While officers searched for Kneeland,While officers searched for Kneeland, they said they received information that he had expressed "suicidal ideations."
Former Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was posthumously diagnosed with Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). There are four stages with Stage 4 showing the most damage.
Kneeland died by suicide in November 2025 at the age of 24.
Boston University's CTE Center made the diagnosis after Kneeland's family donated his brain for research.
Kneeland's family, including his girlfriend Catalina Mancera, put out a statement:
"While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing. We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with. Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life. One Love."
The BU CTE Center made a point of saying that suicide is "complex and multifactorial" and "a post-mortem CTE diagnosis should not be considered the cause of a suicide."
According to records obtained by ESPN, there had been concerns about Kneeland's mental health as far back as 2020 when he was at Western Michigan. In one incident, he was required to turn in his firearm to police until he was cleared by a counselor.
In another, a friend called authorities with concern over Kneeland's well-being. He was found on railroad tracks, saying he hoped a train would run him over. He was hospitalized.
Texas police found Kneeland's body in the early morning of Nov. 6, 2025 after he had evaded officers during a traffic pursuit, crashed his car and fled on foot. According to a report released Friday by the Texas Department of Public Safety, a trooper saw Kneeland's car speeding down the highway, sometimes traveling more than 145 miles per hour and making "several unsafe lane changes."
The trooper ultimately lost sight of Kneeland's car. While officers searched for Kneeland,While officers searched for Kneeland, they said they received information that he had expressed "suicidal ideations."
This post was edited on 7/7/26 at 10:56 am
3
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:44 am to jfan244888
Seems like, if anything, the condition may have exacerbated what was already going on in his head but was not the driving reason.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:54 am to Michael T. Tiger
Yep true. I'll modify the title.
Having beginning stages of CTE at 24 is brutal. He was barely a year into the NFL.
Having beginning stages of CTE at 24 is brutal. He was barely a year into the NFL.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 12:00 pm to jfan244888
I bet if you examined non-NFL players they would show signs of Stage 1 CTE.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 12:15 pm to SoFla Tideroller
Bet most combat veterans have it
Posted on 7/7/26 at 12:58 pm to ChanceOfRainIsNever
I probably have it after spending too much time in Tigerland
Posted on 7/7/26 at 11:53 pm to jfan244888
Well, they’re not going to say he didn’t when his family requested and paid for the autopsy. You think they would find anything else after a lifetime of banging your head against a wall? Shocker! And it’s a money grab. They want the NFL to pay them.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 9:01 am to jfan244888
quote:
According to records obtained by ESPN, there had been concerns about Kneeland's mental health as far back as 2020 when he was at Western Michigan. In one incident, he was required to turn in his firearm to police until he was cleared by a counselor.
In another, a friend called authorities with concern over Kneeland's well-being. He was found on railroad tracks, saying he hoped a train would run him over. He was hospitalized.
Unfortunately, this looks to be the primary cause. He wasn't mentally doing well for a long while. Mental health is so complex and confusing to me. You can be living the life that many others would dream of. But ultimately that means nothing.
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