Marshawn Kneeland’s Girlfriend Asks Fans for Photos of Him

Catalina Mancera, the pregnant girlfriend of late Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, is asking fans to share pictures of him as she tries to honor his memory.

“Hi everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all the love, prayers and messages that have been sent my way,” Mancera wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday, November 15. “Your support has meant more to me than I can put into words during such a painful time.”

She continued, “As I continue honoring Marshawn’s memory, I’m trying to gather as many photos and memories of him as possible. If you have any pictures of Marshawn whether they’re recent, old, funny or meaningful. I would truly appreciate it if you could share them with me,”,adding that “every photo helps me hold onto a piece of him and the beautiful impact he had on all of us.”

“Thank you again for your kindness, your prayers and for keeping my sweet baby in your hearts,” Mancera concluded. “It brings me comfort knowing how deeply he was loved.”

Kneeland died by apparent suicide on November 6 at age 24 after a brief police chase. Six days later, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed that Mancera is pregnant.

Schottenheimer, 52, also announced the creation of the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund, aimed to help Mancera and the couple’s unborn baby.

“I’d like to take a few moments and offer my condolences to Marshawn’s family, Catalina, his girlfriend,” he said. “We had an opportunity last night to celebrate Marshawn’s life, tell some stories. Share, laugh, cry. Marshawn loved the words ‘one love.’ So we talked a lot about love, as we grieve. I got a chance to share a couple of the things that I’ll miss the most about Marshawn.”

Mancera’s post came one week after she broke her silence in a conversation with the Daily Mail, in which she admitted she was not ready to speak at length about Kneeland.

“I’m grieving hard right now,” she said in the story published November 10. “It will be a long time before I’ll feel ready to talk at any length.”

That same day, she updated her profile picture to a photo of the two of them, writing in the caption, “My sweet baby, words could never express how broken I feel, you’re my everything. I’ll love you forever my beautiful angel.”

Kneeland’s cousin Nicole Kneeland-Woods told the Daily Mail that he and Mancera had been together since they attended Western Michigan University.

“Marshawn shared a very special relationship with Catalina, whom he had been with since his sophomore year of college,” she said. “They supported each other through many stages of life. Catalina is an important part of our family and she’s hurting deeply too.”

“Marshawn was a strong, loving person who cared deeply about his family and everyone around him,” she added.

The Cowboys are coming out of their bye week and have not played since Kneeland’s death. Their next game is Monday, November 17, against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.