{"id":118898,"date":"2025-11-10T08:29:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=118898"},"modified":"2025-11-10T08:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:30:32","slug":"marshawn-kneeland-wore-his-mothers-ashes-in-a-necklace-after-her-death-1-year-before-his-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=118898","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udc94 MARASHAWN KNEELAND\u2019S TRAGIC LOSS: Just before being drafted into the NFL last year, the late Cowboys defensive end faced heartbreak as his mother, Wendy, passed away unexpectedly, a loss that shadowed the start of his professional career and added a profound layer to his journey..ll"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Dallas<\/p>\n

The second-year Dallas Cowboys defensive end died on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the age of 24<\/p>\n

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Updated on November 6, 2025 02:57PM EST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n
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  • Marshawn Kneeland’s mother Wendy died in February 2024, two months before he was drafted into the NFL<\/li>\n
  • The Cowboys defensive end died on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the age of 24<\/li>\n
  • Kneeland scored a touchdown two days earlier on Monday Night Football<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Marshawn Kneeland\u2019s mother Wendy died unexpectedly just before the late Cowboys defensive end was drafted into the NFL last year.<\/p>\n

    Marshawn, who died Wednesday night at the age of 24, wore his mother\u2019s ashes in a necklace around his neck, keeping close her memory \u2014 and her encouragement as he fulfilled his lifelongdream to become a Dallas Cowboy.<\/p>\n

    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \u201cIt was definitely tough,\u201d Marshawn told The Dallas Morning News in 2024 about her death from an undisclosed illness. \u201cI just managed it. She helped me a lot in my younger years getting into football. I always had the dream. I always told her, \u2018I\u2019m going to the NFL\u2019 and I made it.\u201d<\/p>\n

    He continued at the time, \u201cIt\u2019s a hard situation just knowing she got to see me potentially going to the NFL and going through [the process]. She\u2019s still with me. I got this urn of her ashes I carry with me everywhere. I still feel like she\u2019s there watching over me.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Marshawn Kneeland with his family.Marshawn Kneeland\/Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Wendy Kneeland died on Feb. 18, 2024, just as her son was at the NFL combine, preparing for the draft.<\/p>\n

    Two months later, the Cowboys selected Marshawn as the 56th overall pick in the second round.<\/p>\n

    In his rookie season, Marshawn appeared in 11 games and recorded 14 tackles.<\/p>\n

    But this season, in the wake of the Cowboys trade which sent star Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, Kneeland\u2019s profile rose.<\/p>\n

    Just 48 hours before his death, he scored his first NFL touchdown on Monday Night Football <\/em>in the game against the Arizona Cardinals.<\/p>\n

    Marshawn Kneeland celebrates after scoring a touchdown on Monday, Nov. 3 on “Monday Night Football.”.AP Photo\/Richard Rodriguez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    After the Cowboys blocked a Cardinals punt, the ball deflected into the end zone \u2014 and Kneeland was the first to land on it, scoring on a rare special teams play.<\/p>\n

    In the wake of his mother\u2019s death last year, the Western Michigan standout shared his emotions at losing his mom just as he was about to achieve his goal of making it to the NFL.<\/p>\n

    \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Marshawn Kneeland\u2019s mother Wendy died unexpectedly just before the late Cowboys defensive end was drafted into the NFL last year, and he wore her ashes in a necklace until his death on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at age 24.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":118911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n\ud83d\udc94 MARASHAWN KNEELAND\u2019S TRAGIC LOSS: Just before being drafted into the NFL last year, the late Cowboys defensive end faced heartbreak as his mother, Wendy, passed away unexpectedly, a loss that shadowed the start of his professional career and added a profound layer to his journey..ll - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=118898\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udc94 MARASHAWN KNEELAND\u2019S TRAGIC LOSS: Just before being drafted into the NFL last year, the late Cowboys defensive end faced heartbreak as his mother, Wendy, passed away unexpectedly, a loss that shadowed the start of his professional career and added a profound layer to his journey..ll - 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