The Cowboys announced Kneeland’s death in a statement calling him “a beloved teammate and member of our organization” and extending thoughts and prayers to Mancera and his family.
Catalina Mancera announced Monday that she welcomed son Makhai, seven months after Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died at age 24.
Credit: AP Photo/Matt Patterson
Late Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland (94) is recognized before before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.
Mancera shared the announcement on social media Monday, posting on Instagram that son Makhai was born June 11. She posted a carousel of photos, captioned “my favorite gift from you đ¤.” One photo shows her holding a photo of the newborn alongside his ink footprints, another shows Makhai wrapping his hand around his mother’s finger; in another, he’s wearing a onesie bearing a woven image of his father in his Cowboys jersey.
Mancera also included a video of the moment she revealed a positive pregnancy test to Kneeland months before his death.
Kneeland, a second-year defensive end, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on a chase north of Dallas. He was 24. His death came just 48 hours after a standout performance on Monday Night Football against the Arizona Cardinals, in which he recovered a blocked punt and scored his first NFL touchdown. He died on Nov. 6, 2025.
On Nov. 12, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed the pregnancy during a press conference, one week after Kneeland’s death.
“We want to make sure she’s taken care of and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Schottenheimer said. The organization also established the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, dedicated to “preserving Marshawn’s legacy and extending his impact through direct support for his surviving partner and unborn heir.”
The pregnancy announcement came as Mancera was still processing her loss.
“I will carry your legacy as long as Iâm still here. I donât know what life has in store for me but you will be apart of my every step. You will never be forgotten. Iâll love you forever my sweet angel,” she wrote on Instagram in November.
In December, she shared ultrasound photos and a message to her unborn son.
“I dreamed of you long before I ever knew you. I dreamed of building a family, of the life your dad and I talked about and imagined together.”
The Cowboys announced Kneeland’s death in a statement calling him “a beloved teammate and member of our organization” and extending thoughts and prayers to Mancera and his family.
