‘Miss Marshawn Every Day’: Brian Schottenheimer Details Dallas Cowboys’ Huddle94 Program On Anniversary Of Marshawn Kneeland’s Death

FRISCO, Texas — On the one-year anniversary of Marshawn Kneeland’s death, Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday that the team is starting Huddle94, a player-led program of roundtable discussions created in his memory.

Schottenheimer spoke Friday morning on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan & RJ. Kneeland, a defensive end, died by suicide on Nov. 6, 2025, at 24. Dallas drafted him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, No. 56 overall, out of Western Michigan, and he wore No. 94.

The things the Cowboys have done to honor Kneeland around the facility sit mostly in areas only the players use, Schottenheimer said, and he goes into one of them at times to sit and talk to him.

“A tough day, being the one-year anniversary that we lost Marshawn,” Schottenheimer said. “I can’t talk enough about just his smile, the way he would light up a room. We would walk into the room, and the way he played the game, guys, was just really incredible, his motor. But very, very proud of our team, our organization, some of the things that we’ve done.”

Dr. Heather Twedell is the Cowboys’ team mental health clinician. The program runs in three parts this season, according to the Cowboys’ team site. The players who lead each session meet with Twedell before it and again afterward.

“We’re starting a program really under the direction of Dr. Heather Twedell called the Huddle94 program,” Schottenheimer explained. “It’s a program that basically is going to be led with our players in terms of roundtable discussions, talking, sharing their thoughts and feelings. And it kind of came out of some of the pain that was felt last year after we lost Marshawn.”

“So we’ve also done some really great things for his high school, looking after Catalina as well and their child,” Schottenheimer continued. “But I can promise you this, miss Marshawn every day, and he’s still a huge part of what we’re about.”

Catalina Mancera, Kneeland’s girlfriend, was pregnant when he died. The Cowboys helped establish the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, and the Jones family, players, and coaches have made donations toward the future of the couple’s son, Makhai. The Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation also invested in a legacy wall at Kneeland’s high school, and the team opened a new wellness room at The Star.

Brian Schottenheimer Says Huddle94 Conversations Started A Year Ago

Kneeland still comes up inside the building, according to Schottenheimer, and the talks that became Huddle94 began around this time last year.

“Number one, the answer is yes. I mean, you never stop talking about the people that you love and care about,” Schottenheimer said. “And even after losing Marshawn, we talk about him quite a bit. And then certainly as you got closer to the anniversary, it became more and more important. Like I said, this Huddle94, discussions started happening last year around this time.”

“And the fact that we’re going to be able to roll it out here and get it started is big,” Schottenheimer added. “But Marshawn is around the facility all the time in terms of the things that we have to honor him. It’s kind of in the player-led areas, if you will. But I know I go into one of those areas at times and just sit and literally talk to him.”

In July, Kneeland’s family announced that researchers had found Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, The Associated Press reported. CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, and stage one is the earliest of four.

Schottenheimer Says League Has Changed Since He Broke In

Schottenheimer, the son of longtime NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, said these conversations did not happen when he entered the league.

“It’s incredible. Shoot, when I first broke into the league a long time ago, these things were never talked about,” Schottenheimer said. “You didn’t talk about how your body felt or where your mind and your heart and your spirit was at. I think that the league and the teams and really the PA and owners and everybody have made it to where this is the stuff that matters. And we all go through things that are hard and difficult. We all have good days and bad days.”

“But I do think that collectively, the National Football League is in a much different spot than it was certainly when I came in,” Schottenheimer noted. “And you never want to lose these incredible young men. And there’s been, unfortunately, this has been going on for a long time. But unfortunately, we’re all having those discussions now. And hopefully that makes it better.”

Dallas plays at the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at noon CT on FOX.

Anyone in crisis can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.