Records: WMU police did 2 welfare checks on Marshawn Kneeland

According to records obtained by ESPN, Western Michigan University police were called twice to conduct welfare checks on Marshon Neeland while he was playing for the school, including by coaches who were concerned about him having a gun.

Neeland, a defensive end for dallas cowboysDied of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound on November 6 in Frisco, Texas. He was 24 years old. Documents obtained by ESPN through an open-records request show there were concerns about his mental health as early as 2020.

One incident, in June 2023, is 10 months before Dallas selected him in the second round of the NFL Draft. western michigan Coach Lance Taylor and then-defensive coordinator Lou Esposito called the police with “concerns about this.” [Kneeland] According to campus police reports, he had recently separated from his girlfriend and they wanted to make sure he was mentally fit to own a gun.

“After speaking with Neeland, he voluntarily turned the gun over to WMUPD for safekeeping until cleared by counsel,” the officer wrote.

According to the report, twelve days later, Kneeland returned his gun to police after receiving a letter from a social worker at Western Michigan Syndicate Health Center stating that Kneeland had been investigated and it was determined that he was not a threat to himself or others.

Taylor and Esposito did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Friday. “WMU’s football program and our greater community are saddened by the death of Marshon,” according to a statement from the Western Michigan athletic department provided to ESPN. “He was deeply loved and cared for here. Bronco Athletics provides holistic support to all of our student-athletes, including mental health services with professional counselors. Marshon utilized those mental health resources during his time at WMU. The entire football staff was proud of Marshon, who became a captain and leader in the program and ultimately a graduate of Western Michigan University.” The counselor named in the report did not respond to messages from ESPN.

In another incident in September 2020, an unidentified friend of Kneeland called 911 to express concern for his well-being, and police found Kneeland near train tracks in Kalamazoo.

“Neeland told me that he was sitting across the tracks hoping that a train would run over him and end his life,” the responding officer wrote in a report. “Neeland told me about life overall and that he was feeling depressed because of his lack of playing football at WMU. He told me he had been feeling this way for some time. When asked to clarify how long he had been feeling this way, he did not provide an answer. Kneeland said he does not see a therapist or take any medications for his mental health crisis.”

The report states that Kneeland did not want to seek medical attention, but Kent County Sheriff’s deputies responding to the scene transported Kneeland to Borgess Hospital (now Beacon Kalamazoo). The report did not say when or why Niland was released from the hospital.

A Cowboys spokesman declined to answer questions Friday about whether the team was aware of Neeland’s past incidents.

Kneeland’s cousin and family spokeswoman, Nicole Kneeland-Woods, told ESPN that she had no knowledge of those incidents. “Absolutely not,” she said.

On Thursday, Kneeland’s family held a private memorial service in Wyoming, Michigan. Kneeland-Woods said it was invitation-only for family, close friends and some of his coaches.

“For us right now, it’s just trying to move forward,” he said. “Now we can really begin the healing process.”

Texas police found Kneeland’s body on the morning of November 6, after he had fled from 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 observed Neyland’s car speeding on the highway, at times traveling more than 145 mph and making “numerous unsafe lane changes.” Eventually the trooper lost sight of Kneeland’s car. When officers searched for Kneeland, they said they received information that he had expressed “suicidal thoughts.”