Girlfriend of Late NFL Star, 24, Is Pregnant, Coach Says

The girlfriend of Marshawn Kneeland, the NFL star who died last week after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, is pregnant.

The Dallas Cowboys head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, revealed on Wednesday that the team has started a memorial fund for the late 24-year-old’s girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, and her unborn baby.

“She’s pregnant and so we want to make sure she is taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives—it’s very important to our guys and to us,” he said.

Schottenheimer did not say how far along Mancera is in her pregnancy or whether Kneeland knew he was going to become a father.

The Frisco Police Department said officers attempted to pull the defensive end over for a traffic violation last Wednesday night. He evaded officers during a pursuit before crashing his car and fleeing on foot, authorities said.

Police dispatch audio revealed that his body was found in a portable toilet around 1:30 a.m., TMZ Sports reported.

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 10: A moment of silence is held for Marshawn Kneeland prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) — NFL teams held moments of silence.
Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

“I’m grieving hard right now. It will be a long time before I’ll feel ready to talk at any length,” Mancera, 22, told the Daily Mail. “We’re still in the early stages of everything. We are working on the funeral arrangements. I don’t know where it’s going to be yet.”

Mancera started dating Kneeland during his time at Western Michigan University, before he was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Before that year’s draft in April, Kneeland’s mother, Wendy, died unexpectedly in February of an undisclosed illness.

Kneeland, who was in his second professional season, scored his first and only touchdown just two days before his apparent suicide.

Marshawn Kneeland’s first NFL touchdown just 3 days ago 🕊️pic.twitter.com/PCSDgjHQ3E

— Sports (@Sports) November 6, 2025

Cable Johnson, the Cowboys’ head of security, asked police in Plano, Texas—where Kneeland lived—for a welfare check following “concerning” texts on the day of his death.

“He sent out some group texts that are concerning, probably mental health,” Johnson told a police dispatcher. “The group text seemed to be saying goodbye, and he made some statement about not being able to go to prison or to jail.”

Schottenheimer, who has been the Cowboys’ head coach since January, said at the news conference that the team doesn’t “have all the answers.”

“You just take it one day at a time, and you don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have all the answers. We probably won’t have all the answers,” he said.

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The football coach, who’s the son of late NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, told reporters the difficulty of the situation for him and the team.

“We don’t move on, but we do move forward,” he said. “I wasn’t sure I could get through my part of last night—speaking at his candlelight vigil—and I did.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.

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